Broken Spirit
by Cryssy-miu
Summary: An unexpected turn of events have lead to Discord's freedom, but his plans are turned asunder when Twilight Sparkle accidentally badly injures him. R&R Epilogue: The events tie together as Discord finally finds a way to put his past to rest
1. Chapter 1

"Okay, one more time!"

A collective groan was the only response. One pony's slightly annoyed head rose out from behind the lay out of flower sandwiches and delectable still steaming cookies. "Seriously, Rainbow Dash, enough! Just eat!"

It was already beginning to near sundown and yet barely an entree had been touched. The five ponies were exhausted, sweating, laying splayed out over the picnic blanket. Just a usual occurrence when Rainbow Dash was in the mood for a nice race. Being that the fields outside the palace stretched forever, the race was tedious for some ponies.

"No more racin', Rainbow. I feel so dizzy now; I don't think I can take a bite 'a food." The golden earth pony rolled over onto her back, eyes staring intently at the passing clouds. "Clouds look mighty pretty today."

"Well, I liked 'em better when they made chocolate milk!" Pinkie Pie abruptly perked, and a dead silence hung over the group like a bitter fog. "What? Well, you gotta admit that they were tasty!" The pink pony's head lowered when she realized her mistake. "Oh..."

It had been three days since the ordeal: Equestria turned into a nightmare of a Wonderland, ruled by the merciless, heartless, and especially cunning draconequus. Things had already been resolved – things had been resolved the moment the ribbons of rainbow plummeted into the land, and into Discord. Yet...the wounds were still deep; scars that perhaps wouldn't ever heal.

Every pony had been deeply affected, their nerves shattered into tiny fragments. If there was any feeling that was more pronounced than any other the ordeal had left...it was guilt. Guilt for the way their unconscious minds had acted, for how badly they had hurt their friends – and had no control over it. Fluttershy seemed to be just grated with remorse; being a liar, selfish, grumpy, and disloyal was one thing, but the yellow pegasus had outright verbally and _physically_ hurt her friends with coldness and cruelty. As such, Twilight Sparkle had noticed the unsettling change in her best friends, stemmed by their guilt.

"You know.." Pinke Pie spoke again. "I like, can't _believe_ that he made me such a grumpy hooves! Can you imagine if I went the rest of my life so...grouchy and unsmiling and – gasp – un-_laughy?_" The party pony threw her hooves to her face dramatically. "Oh how would I go on! I mean, I love to laugh, and I can't imagine not laughing! Like, why would I say I hated chocolate rain? I _love_ chocolate rain!"

Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak, but guilt took over her and so did the tears that trickled down her muzzle. Every other pony but Twilight Sparkle had their heads lowered, reliving those terrible moments.

"Girls," the purple mare spoke carefully and softly. "I know it's a bit painful, but try not to think about it. He's sealed away for good and we can get on with our life – as friends." She smiled. "Nothing that happened that day matters." Her friends slowly let smiles cross their faces, and Twilight brought them all into a close hug.

Somewhere in the colorful barrage of embracing ponies, a southern voice spoke:

"So can we finally eat now?"

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It was twilight now; the bright sky melting off to a purple tinge, stars mingled in the colors. The moon was already peeking up from behind a distant hill, casting a cool silver glow on the land before it. Every pony was at home, including her friends.

Twilight Sparkle preferred to be outside at night if the air wasn't too cold. She just felt an odd sense of comfort under her favorite tree; felt like she was watching out for Ponyville, protecting it since no one else was out to. Smiling, the unicorn trotted slowly over the vacant dirt roads, eyes following the glowing stars above her. The surroundings seemed to change; the land dotted with trees and a dark forest path. It was then that the startled unicorn realized how far out of town she had walked.

"Oh.." Smiling and flushing at her stupid mistake, the unicorn turned to go back home. Right before she did, however, she noticed...something _odd_ behind a couple trees: a long twisted looking shadow – that slithered away before the unicorn could fully process what it was. Oh well, it was most likely just a few tree branches.

The unicorn trotted along, now feeling terribly uneasy and no longer at peace with her nature walk. She just wanted to go home. Leaves rustled from behind her, and Twilight Sparkle felt a dim panicky feeling quicken her heart.

_It's just some forest animal.._ she tried to reassure herself. _That's all._ Still, she quickened the pace, trying to will her breathing to steady. (A difficult feat while running.) Reaching the end of the line of trees, the unicorn hopped back in alarm as some dark silhouette fell half way out of the tree.

He didn't land on the ground, rather hung there like a monkey, tail obviously wrapped around a branch hidden somewhere in the tree. Even in the darkness, those bright yellow eyes and ruby red pupils seemed to illuminate his entire face – from the twisted horns to the snaggle tooth. His eyes sparkled with a playful mirth.

"_Peek-a-boo..._"

Twilight wasn't sure if she screamed, though she probably did. All that registered in her mind was how fast she was suddenly running, through the trees, over the hills. She knew it didn't matter; he was following her, snake like body trailing behind her. She had to get out of there – had to _move-_

-she tripped, crying out as her hoof stubbed hard against a rock. The unicorn felt herself moving faster and faster - _rolling_ down a dirt hill, into total blackness. There was no sound now but her heavy pants and a few little rocks that tumbled after her.

Then, his voice from the darkness:

"Why, my goodness! You're acting as if you've seen the boogie man. Hm-hm! Perhaps not a far cry from reality when I really think about it.."

The unicorn was on her feet again, racing past the form – who promptly, effortlessly caught her by the tail.

"Such a show, my dear, _really!_ I always thought little Pinkie was the dramatic one."

The unicorn's voice could barely gurgle out through her fear. "Let me go." He did so, immediately, and the shaken pony fell on her face. "H-how did you..how did you..?"

Discord chuckled, casually floating on his back. "I suppose I'll finish that sentence since what you're about to say is pretty much a given. Let's just saaay.. the seal wasn't as strong this time." He smirked when the disbelief crossed the pony's purple eyes.

"What do you mean 'not as strong?'" Twilight demanded, the fear in her voice replaced with anger and disbelief. "It is the Elements Of Harmony; their power comes from six ponies! How could it not be as strong? If anything, the seal should be stronger!"

The draconequus switched positions, floating on his belly this time. He rested his chin in his paw and talon and smiled, saying nothing for a few minutes and just drinking in the pony's confusion and helplessness. "Oh, Twilight, you wish it was that simple don't you? Perhaps you would be right, if it wasn't for one simple little fact – the one that led to my freedom: your friendship suffered a devastating blow."

"Wh-what?" the purple pony spluttered, and Discord snickered. "What do you mean? I know your cruel little manipulative trick almost ended our friendship, but I managed to save them! That's how we used the Elements!"

The chimera laughed, voice somewhat cold as he spoke again. "And you honestly think that everything could have just gone back to normal after that? There was such tension between all of your friends because neither could forget about what they had done when they were in my power. Their guilt was too strong. The seal was so _thin_ that it took only mere hours to claw my way out of that cursed stone prison."

Devastated and horrified, the unicorn's ears lowered, feeling the desire to just crumble to the ground.

"Why surely I wasn't the only one that realized how different your friends were acting; the Elements Of Harmony are not powered by confusion, guilt, anger, regret, sadness, and hopelessness."

Twilight Sparkle swallowed a lump in her throat, angry tears stinging her eyes as she watched the spirit smirk away. "W-well, I'll get the Elements. We'll seal you for good this time!" She gave a soft growl when Discord laughed.

"And what will that do? Your friendship isn't anymore mended up than it was three days ago! The seal will be paper thin; I'll be able to free myself instantly. Hm..come to think of it, I'd like to try and break my – what was it? - seven hour record from last time, so go ahead. When it comes down to it though, I still want a few days to plan before I launch this land further into chaos; you have nothing to worry about for now." The draconequus stared, watching as Twilight's horn began to fiercely glow, and her head lowered, hoof scraping the ground."Oh don't tell me you seriously want to fight!" he scoffed at the very thought, then floated up over the pony's head, smiling. "Besides, when did I insinuate I was planning to do anything..dastardly?"

"You're always planning that."

He waved a talon dismissively, grimacing disdainfully. "Ugh. So boring – you _must _spend a lot of time with Celestia. Must you always jump to conclusions?"

Her violet eyes narrowed, hooves scraping the ground more.

"Fine; if it's a fight you want, attack me to your heart's content. Shall I place another target on myself?" he taunted, smirking when it further infuriated her. The draconequus curled his tail up, laughing as Twilight's horn brushed right past him. He chortled behind his lion paw when the startled mare tripped over another rock. "Oh, such grace! Bravo, my little pony – you officially win the award for the most failure of an attack in the history of Equestria."

Literally snorting like a generic horse, the unicorn charged once again. Discord caught her and lifted her. Twilight Sparkle kicked and snorted and thrashed and bucked as the amused chimera just watched, gently holding the mare around the middle and waiting for her to tire herself out.

"Are you quite done?" He smiled at her, running a playful and mocking claw down the pony's mane to 'brush her hair.' "Such a lovely mane, no need to wreck it thrashing about like a caged monkey. You'll break your leg like that anyways." He dropped her. "And it will be quite difficult to walk on roads of soap in general – let alone with broken legs. I'd save your strength and your limbs if I were you."

"Twilight?" a timid voice echoed from the entrance: Fluttershy. "Twilight, what's going on? Are you okay? Rainbow Dash saw you fall down that hole!"

"Girls, I badly need help!" Twilight cried desperately, watching the five heads slowly poke out, and stare in shock at the chimera that met their sight. "One of you, get the Elements!"

"Oh, those toys again, Twilight? Honestly, you use them too much and you'll break them! Then what are you going to do when a bigger threat appears? This is knowledge that even a filly knows: toys have their limits." He smiled, his wayward body snaking closer to the emerging ponies. "What are you all going to do when your toys reach theirs?"

"Discord, there ain't no way we're letting you destroy Equestria again!" Applejack growled, stomping a hoof in protest. The chimera almost looked hurt.

"Destroy? Now where exactly is it classified that spreading a few harmless little spreads of chaos, like chocolate milk rain and turning your land into cleansing materials is 'destroying?' I could do so much worse. You have no idea of what I'm capable of – the true devastation my power could spread if I wanted it to. Luckily, I'm not that mean." He smirked. "Or am I? I guess that's what's so fun about me!"

Twilight Sparkle snarled, having had absolutely enough with these riddles and taunts. He was supposed to be gone. For good. He had destroyed her friends and she was supposed to see to it that he was gone – for good. What had happened? Had their friendship's bond really been so weak from such a struggle that their internal regret was all it took to break the chains that bound him?

"You're not going anywhere, Discord," the mare growled, the glow on her horn intensifying.

"Oh my! I haven't seen such a lovely glow since Celestia when she gets all worked up." The draconequus chuckled, cheerfully putting on a pair of sunglasses. "So bright, so full of passion. Well whatever you're cooking up, go ahead and fire! I only hope it will be as amusing as your last attempt to attack me." He grinned when the unicorn flushed with rage and embarrassment. "Well don't keep me in suspense, my dear. I have a lot of planning to do after this, so make it quick."

Her horn was smouldering with rage, shining brilliantly as she prepared it for the spell. She had been studying this spell for ages: the strongest restraining spell known in Equestria. It took great power and great concentration. There was however a vital thing of importance that Twilight forgot: it took a calm mind.

The magic lashed out, pinning the chimera to the wall. He looked startled and impressed, smirking away. The smirk faded as the magic peeled him off the wall and slammed him against it again. He grunted, the glasses falling from his face.

"Impressive, I must say. Perhaps you don't need those little magical necklaces of yours after all!" The draconequus had no way of knowing how brutally right he'd be. He merely laid there against the wall, deciding to let the little pony have some fun before he'd break the spell.

"Girls, one of you, get the Elements!" Twilight ordered, starting to feel triumphant. Oh, they'd get him this time! Her horn was nearly blinding now; a subtle and slightly unsettling change taking over it. Suddenly, Twilight barely seemed to be in control.

The magic glow ripped Discord from the wall – and suddenly began repetitively slamming him. The spirit winced, body curling up, realizing it was time to end this little game before some real damage was made. He struggled hard – and he couldn't move. He fought with all his power; opposing forces attacking each other and really making for an interesting colored glow, but Twilight's magic rained supreme once more. The draconequus began breathing heavily, ruby eyes wide with fright.

Twilight, meanwhile was fighting to wrangle her out of control horn. It began mercilessly tossing Discord around the cave walls, and he started to let out small cries of shock and pain as he was thrown about like a rag doll.

"Twilight, Twilight!" Fluttershy called insistently. Her voice was beginning to shake and reach a pitch of hysterics: high and almost unintelligible. "Twilight, stop it!" Every one of the frightened draconequus's pitiful cries made the tight knots in Fluttershy's heart further constrict her.

The nearly blinding light from the struggling horn intensified. Twilight Sparkle was breathing heavily, wildly flinging her mane about as she fought to gain control of that horn – that had somehow developed a mind of its own. "Fluttershy, I can't control it!" It got to the point where the unicorn finally just tried to bury her head in the dirt like an ostrich to suffocate the horn somehow.

Discord meanwhile was being slammed around mercilessly. He had always known that the little mare harbored a great deal of power, but he could never have imagined that her magic could have the potential to be strong – powerful enough that he couldn't undermine it when it reached full power. The draconequus had given up fighting; every struggle he made with both body and magic only made the pain worse. He merely let out a few anguished cries as his body was slammed repeatedly against the walls. His wide red eyes silently begged for respite, promised anything, as long as the agony would at last cease.

Twilight Sparkle struggled desperately with the wicked spell, fully aware at the fact that enough of this treatment could quickly kill the spirit. He had already been slammed around as much as his bones and organs could mete out. "Stop – please!" At last – at long last, the light from her horn extinguished and the violet glow enveloping the wounded chimera faded.

Discord tumbled to the floor, completely motionless.

"Some pony, git someone!" Applejack cried frantically, while Twilight Sparkle shakily added an "alert the princess!"

Discord laid there. His body was consumed in pain – the worst pain he had ever felt. No pain came close to it. He knew before he even tried that he couldn't move his legs...or his tail..or barely his arms. Every slight movement resulted in unbearable agony, the barbs of pain slicing deeper with every sharply inhaled breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but pain grew tight in his chest. Tears filled his eyes and slowly puddled around his face as he prayed to Equestria for mercy.

"Is he even alive?" Twilight Sparkle asked meekly, tears in her own eyes at the disaster she had created.

"I-I think so," Fluttershy whispered. She was cautious to advance the creature, fully knowledgeable in how dangerous a wounded animal – any wounded and defenseless animal – could be. Discord blearily looked up at her through wet and disoriented red eyes. His head snapped up when the concerned pegasus drew closer.

"Fluttershy, look out!" Twilight called frantically, narrowly dodging a sudden blast of magic from the draconequus's talon. It sailed over her head and burned into the wall. "Get out of there before he kills you!"

Discord's lips peeled back in a snarl as he made a last effort to protect himself from further harm. He blasted at the undaunted pegasus insistently, but she effortlessly ducked and glided over every weak attack. Pure physical violence was not truly in the draconequus's nature; he preferred inflicting psychological harm and finding creative and playful ways to torment his victims. However, anyone knew that a downed animal was a dangerous threat if approached completely defenseless. The ponies visibly backed up into the corner, taking the desperate blasts as an act of aggression.

Fluttershy knew better however. Where any pony would see a malicious intent, she saw different: fear

The pegasus had seen it all before. Pure distinct fear; he was no different than her many animal friends she had cared for. Where some had immediately regarded her as a goddess of sick fauna, some had behaved in the exact same manner: vicious, frightened, unpredictable. Whether Discord wanted to admit it or not, he was frightened. Very very frightened.

"Now, now, take it easy.." Fluttershy said softly, grazing a hoof gently over the spirit's snout. His eyes had closed in exhaustion once more, head slightly lolled off to the side. However, he could still feel the foreign and gentle touch.

"Fluttershy, what in Equestria are you doing?" Rarity hissed. "Get away from him, now!"

The timid pegasus remained as placid as before, for once immune to the fear that usually plagued her. She abandoned her anger and disdain towards him, and she abandoned who he was and what he had done. All that mattered to her was that he was a creature that needed her help. She was determined to give it.

"There, there...take it easy..." Fluttershy cooed, surprised by how strong her voice sounded. She continued running a gentle hoof down his snout and mane, pretending this was one of the bunnies she so often had to soothe as she'd gently pry out a thorn from the bottom of its foot. "It'll be alright.." Intimidation set back in when those ruby eyes finally opened again, following her hoof's movements as it continued to rub along his mane and snout. His eyes only stayed open for a few moments, and then they closed.

Fluttershy breathed out and turned to her baffled friends, ignoring their shock momentarily and focusing more on the task at hand. "Rainbow Dash, could you please run home and get me my medical kit? I need bandages, splints, pain medicine, and some ice would probably help him too.."

The blue pegasus was still shaking off the shock, and could find nothing to say to her friend as she bolted out of the hole. The other ponies finally managed to wear off their shock as they shakily approached the wounded spirit.

"Anything you need help with, Sugar cube?" Applejack asked softly. "We'll help with anything ya need. Does he need some food? I can run back home and whip up some nice apple fritters lickety-split!" She blinked as Discord rolled his eyes up at her. "What in the hay is that look for? Ah'm only tryin' to help."

"I could bring one of my warmest blankets to bundle him with," Rarity offered gently. Then, her snout screwed up in disdain. "Oh, but do promise that you won't get it _too_dirty. It's ever so difficult to clean those things!"

Fluttershy's face warmed with a flush of pride as she looked at all her wonderful friends. Even when doubting her good intentions and fearing the draconequus themselves, they were more than willing to support her in any way they could. "Oh, thank you all so much.. Yes, this will all help him. Now we need to worry about bandaging him and getting him back to my cottage."

Even Pinkie Pie looked nervous at that, her eyes reflecting her uncertainty in every one of her friends. "Your cottage? Um, Fluttershy, do ya really – ya know – think that's a good idea? Like, sure you're just trying to be nice and nurse him and all, but it's like..Discord! He's cool and all and I LOVE the chocolate rain, but ya know-"

The yellow pegasus's attention drifted away from the energetic pink pony (as everyone's usually did), and her eyes were firmly focused on the mangled mess that used to be Discord's perfectly and subtly curled tail. "Oh no – oh, it got so twisted..that must hurt.." Ever so gently – like a butterfly landing on a leaf – she placed her hoof on the base of his tail – and reeled back in fright as the chimera tried to take a snap at her. The rest of the ponies gasped as well, horrified.

"Fluutershy, git _away _from 'im!" Applejack ordered, her voice wavering in fright. The stubborn pegasus remained at his side. "He's too dangerous right now!"

"Yeah, and he's Discord!" Rainbow Dash pointed out, flying down through the hole. Her voice was muffled by the thick plastic medicine kit in between her teeth. "It's not like he deserves our help or anything! I know you're the element of kindness and all, but come on!"

Fluttershy spun to her friends, her green eyes smouldering with both anger and determination. She stamped a hoof firmly down, indignantly. "I do not care if he's Discord or not. He's in a lot of pain and he could…he could die. Please help me bandage him and get him home."

Twilight Sparkle finally spoke up, shakily, voice erratic from her crying. "I'll help twist his tail back to-to normal. Do you want me to put a magic muzzle on his face to stop him from snapping?" She got ready to lower her horn, but it was gently nudged back up by a grim faced Applejack.

"I think yer magic has done quite enough for one day, Sugar cube.." Immediately, the mare's head lowered, consumed in guilt. She turned her head away, deciding it best she just kept her mouth shut and not do anything.

"Discord, you need to calm down.." Cautiously, Fluttershy crouched beside his face and looked into his eyes. The hazed over red pupils stared firmly at the ground, before slowly rolling up to gaze at the little pegasus. He stared, unable to voice his confusion as to _why_ the stupid pony was _helping _him! There was no strength left in his body now, and he could only watch helplessly as Fluttershy took a very gentle hold of his tail. His entire body tensed.

"Okay…this will hurt," Fluttershy warned softly, not sugar coating anything. The limb tensed up even more in her hoof, and Fluttershy gently jerked the tail back in place.

Discord's head shot up, unable to process the pain for a moment, then the deep twisting burst of agony ripped up his rump, unlike anything he had ever felt. He was sure she was shattering every bone in his tail rather than trying to fix it. The draconequus somehow managed to lock in the scream, only giving a few sharp breaths as he tried to see through tears. Absolutely wiped out from the ordeal, he finally gave in and let his body slip into darkness.

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_(I don't know what the point is in writing another MLP fic - let alone a mini fic - no one cares about them. XD I guess I really just write them for my own enjoyment._

_So, am proud of the reason I came up with for why Discord escaped, and - my God - he is just the most fun ever to write. I know it's probably hard to see where the focus is right now; at first you think Twilight, now you think Fluttershy. WELL, they all play a part in nursing him back to health, but for the most part it's Fluttershy and Twilight. (And some Pinkie too, maybe Laughter is the best medicine.) This fic'll be short, like three or four chapters._

_And yes, I made the spirit of chaos and disharmony cry. Hey, you'd cry too if your legs, arms, ribs, and tail was broken. Besides, he's a children's villain - probably not too tough._

_If you enjoyed this -which I'm sure no one will, given how my MLP fics are collecting dust - please check out "Moon Lullaby" and "Wayward Encounter")_


	2. Chapter 2

"Oh, Equestria!" Pinkie Pie cried in horror, and she shook the dracraconequus – who didn't move an inch, despite his shattered bones being tossed about inside him. "Don't go into the liiight, Discord!"

"Pinkie!" Applejack shouted, yanking back her sniffling friend. "What in tarnation are y'all doing? Darn near every bone in his body is broken I bet! He can't be slammed around like that!"

"But he went into the light!"

"He didn't go into the light, Pinkie, for the love of Equestria! He just passed out." The southern pony gazed down at the still twisted form; he really did look dead, limp, disheveled, tears drying onto his face. He was bleeding a bit as well.

"How am I supposed to get him back to my cottage now?" Fluttershy slumped down despondently, realizing the bad dilemma. Even if the draconequus was awake, it wasn't like he'd be able to walk to the cottage himself. Fluttershy closed her eyes when she realized what the solution was. Reluctantly, she turned to the purple mare, who had her head buried in her arms. "Twilight-"

"No."

"Twilight, please!" Fluttershy pleaded, hooves clasped. "Your magic will be strong enough to levitate him all the way to the cottage. You know I can't carry him; you know how strong your magic is." The pegasus silenced instantly when the unicorn spun to look at her, a look of absolute anguish and grief crumpling her face.

"Yes," she sobbed, "I _do_ know how strong my magic is!" The mare tore past them, almost knocking her friends over as she blindly stumbled up the hole, sobbing.

"Twilight!" Applejack called after her. "Hunny, come back! It'll be alright! Twilight!" She scrambled up and looked through the hole, disheartened when she saw nothing but the black night; no pony in sight.

"So now what do we do?" Fluttershy whispered, and every one of her friends looked at each other, completely lost. "We need to carry him by magic. We could really risk hurting him even _more _if we all try to lift him." She hesitated, then turned to Rarity. "Um..Rarity.."

"Dear Equestria!" The white unicorn's eyes bugged out, paling (if anyone could tell.) "Darling, you _can't_ be serious! You know my magic – although quite lovely – is nowhere _near _as strong as Twilight's! Why, I lift scissors and fabrics – not giant dragon..pony...things!"

"Oh, Rarity, you could do it if you really tried! Please, we're running out of options!" The yellow pegasus felt sick as she looked down at Discord; he wasn't breathing well. "And time.."

"Fluttershy, I simply can't! I'd drop him immediately and you know..." The fashion unicorn blinked, watching as tears filled her best friend's blue eyes to the brim. "...it. Ugh." Sighing, the unicorn lowered her head and began focusing all her strength into her horn. A soft glow enveloped Discord, gently lifting his body into the air. The draconequus wavered a few times in the air as Rarity tried to get accustomed to lifting something other than her usual cloths and tools. Eventually, the glow and Discord became steady. Rarity smiled. "Oh, look at that! I can do it!"

Fluttershy's eyes sparkled, the tears leaving them. "Oh Rarity, I knew you'd be able to do it. Now.." She climbed up the hole, gently taking the rest of her friend's hooves and helping them up. "We need to get him to my place – fast."

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Discord's head was swimming, and he wondered if he was actually finally waking up this time. For the past five hours, he could feel his body jolting into subconsciousness, and he'd hear voices; worried whispers, tense and uncertain. Then, he'd fade out again.

"Are you awake yet? Are ya?"

Poke.

"Wake up, sleepy head."

Poke.

"Pinkie Pie, dear, I don't think it's a very good idea to poke him right now." Instantly, when Discord recognized the hideously angelic voice, he shot up – only to wince in agony. Colors at the end of his made up bed blurred in his vision, as did the sparkles and rainbow streaks flowing in her pastel mane.

"How are you feeling?" Celestia asked evenly, tossing a damp cloth on one of his wounds.

The draconequus shook off his remaining dizziness and licked his dry and cracked lips. He contemplated what to say for a few seconds, finally deciding the first thing he'd say since the ordeal would be a smart retort: "A bit better until your face was the first thing that greeted my sight." This was met by Celestia merrily stomping on his sore tail, electing a squeal of pain from the creature.

"You feel a bit better," Celestia continued, ignoring the chimera's mean remark, "because I cast a small numbing spell when Fluttershy was stitching you up." She pointed to where parts of the draconequus's skin was patterned with embedded thread. "The worst of your injuries are your breaks: two breaks in both your legs, a nearly shattered tail, broken ribs, bruises.."

"Oh, do keep listing; it's ever so enjoyable," Discord snapped sarcastically, attempting to shift his sore feet in a different position under his blankets. Upon examining his body, he discovered every one of his appendages – except for his arms, though one was in a sling – were tightly wrapped together with bandages. His fur was ruffled and unkempt, and cuts were scattered all over his skin. Deeply ashamed by his sight, the creature swallowed hard and pulled the blankets up further. He disguised the pain in his face with anger and hatred.

"Perhaps if you had maybe stayed put in your statue where you belonged, this would not have had to happen," the princess stated matter-a-factly.

"And remain a lawn ornament the rest of my life? Oh, spare me the platitudes, Celestia. Just enlighten me as to why you're here so you can leave – immediately."

Eyes glazing over with a cool look, the princess turned away from the bed, turning to the crowd of uncomfortable ponies gathered by the bed side. "I was alerted by Twilight Sparkle; she told me-"

"Oh, wait, wait – let me guess." Smirking, the draconequus cleared his throat, cradled his head in his hands and began poorly imitating Twilight Sparkle's voice. "Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that my little horn has the power to kill the spirit of disharmony. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."

Every pony's head turned to Pinkie Pie, who was pounding the floor with her hooves, laughing. "Oh, that was such a _hilarious _impression of Twilight!" the earth pony snorted, and the draconequus further smirked.

"Discord, she feels terrible for what she did," Celestia frowned. "I haven't ever seen her so upset!" The ponies nodded in agreement.

"And I'm supposed to care?" he drawled, further infuriating the princess. "It surprises me that she'd feel terrible for hurting me. I mean, honestly, when exactly did I slam any pony against a wall – over and over?" He settled further under his blankets, looking annoyed. "You ponies have the most unjust punishments for something as minor as just messing with nature a little. Goodness, I even quenched you all with chocolate milk!"

"Chocolate milk?" It was clear that this was the only thing that Pinkie Pie seemed to choose to listen to from the conversation. "Oh, where?"

The exhausted draconequus ran a talon down his face. "Oh, go get some from the fridge!" he snapped, rolling his eyes at Pinkie Pie's 'okey-dokey-lokey!' as she merrily pranced off. He glared over from the corner of a red eye when Celestia came closer to him.

"Discord, she never meant it.. She wouldn't try to physically hurt you. It was out of her control!" Celestia was desperate to defend her student, even though it probably didn't matter when Discord hated the unicorn to begin with.

"Out of control, right," Discord muttered, then he slightly wriggled his upper body out of the blankets a bit, leering into Celestia's eyes. "Aren't you her teacher? Isn't it your job to help her harness that power? If she's such an amazing student, she would have been able to control her spells by now, instead of landing poor creatures, like little ol' me in such peril."

The princess stomped her hoof in protest, but found she had nothing to say in Twilight's defense. He was right: she should have known better than to use a spell that powerful; that type of magic was only her's and Luna's liberty. The fact that Twilight used it when she was so angry didn't help matters.

"Am I right?" Discord taunted.

There was a sudden creak coming from the other side of the cottage and the door opened just the slightest splint; the hint of a purple hoof visible – next to the purple curl from the un-brushed mane. The hoof pulled back a bit.

"Twi, Sugar cube," Applejack said softly. "It's alright to come in.."

It seemed to take forever for the door to finally open, and Discord kept his cold eyes locked on it. However, even he hopped back in shock at the frazzled little mare's appearance:

Her eyes were blood shot from a night of obvious crying and restlessness, and her whole body shook with her guilt. Her mane was uncombed and tossed about, frizzing to the point that Rarity gave a dramatic gasp and a "oh darling! Your beautiful coiffure!" - sinking to the ground in a brief faint. In between her trembling teeth was a bouquet of flowers clutched tightly. She was afraid to look at any pony's eyes. Her teacher's, compassionate and concerned; her friends' full of horror and worry; Discord's cold as ice and devoid of forgiveness.

The draconequus said nothing as the shaking little unicorn slowly trotted by his side. She raised her anguished and deeply regretful purple eyes to Discord's, but he only narrowed his and backed up in a distrusting manner. Regardless, Twilight Sparkle shakily dropped the bouquet at his feet and backed up.

A cruel smirk spread across Discord's face, as he looked forward to thrusting the much deserving pony into further despair. He sat up a bit, tried to challenge his magic to thrust those stupid flowers back in her _face_ - and it wouldn't work. "What?" He tried again. Still nothing.

"You didn't think I'd really leave you with magic when the ponies are taking care of you, did you?" Celestia asked, slightly amused.

"How dare you!" he snarled, "you had no right!" The draconequus thrashed in rage – only to almost start crying as the pain ripped up his broken limbs. "_Augh!_"

"Discord!" Celestia's shout rang out, both angered and alarmed. "Stop moving! You'll injure yourself even more!" Her words fell on deaf ears as the draconequus continued to thrash, more so out of fear though no pony realized it. He was completely defenseless against his enemies. They could do anything to him! Desperate, the princess struck out with a spell that paralyzed him from the chest down.

"Oh, thank you.." Fluttershy sighed with relief, trotting up to the group. Her mane was also slightly tangled and she had bags under her eyes, kept up all night taking care of the wounded spirit. Tomato soup splattered her front and dripped slightly off the end of her muzzle; the streaming hot bowl clenched between her teeth. "I needed help calming him down..." The yellow pegasus trotted up to the chimera and offered the spoon to him, a hopeful look on her face.

The paralyzing spell quickly wearing off, Discord snatched the meal from her, not even bothering to contemplate if the soup was poisoned; he was far too hungry for that, and honestly, the draconequus could not see the Element of compassion doing such a thing. (Though he could see Rainbow Dash doing it.) Hungrily, he gulped down the warm soothing soup, dimly realizing it was dribbling down his muzzle and Fluttershy was actually wiping his face with a napkin.

"I-is it good?" the pegasus asked softly. He didn't respond, but judging by the reception, it must have been appreciated. "I made it myself."

The bowl was dropped unceremoniously at the edge of the bed, and Discord actually looked more content now that his stomach was full. "It was...delicious." He watched as the pegasus's face lit up with happiness and she took the bowl away.

Twilight had stayed silent the whole time, body crouched low to the ground like a chastised filly, tears continuing to roll in copious volumes. She knew she had to say something, had to speak up. When she finally stood again, Discord wordlessly looked at her. Suddenly, it was hard for Twilight to get out a word. "Is..is there a-anything I can do for you?"

He rested his chin on a lion paw, leering into those quivering purple eyes. "Why yes, you can un-cripple me. Oh, actually, I don't believe I wish to try my luck again with the killer unicorn!" he spat. Instantly, the purple mare cowered, looking ready to burst into tears.

"Now you wait just a minute, ya despicable varmint!" Applejack growled, stomping a hoof and protectively drawing Twilight Sparkle to her. "Twilight is tryin' ta' be nice, ya see?"

"Mhm."

"Why do ya gotta be such a jerk all the time?"

The draconequus smirked, leaning towards the livid earth pony. "Oh, must we go over the meaning of my name again, Applejack?" He grinned when the earth pony further stamped her hoof.

"I..I just thought," Twilight stammered, "just thought that maybe you could – you would-"

"That maybe I would what - _forgive_ you?" Discord demanded with a bitter and incredulous laugh. "You think that I would actually forgive you for this? Forgiveness isn't even in my nature, let alone to a pony that tried to kill me!"

The unicorn flinched at his words, failing to hold back the sob that ripped through every pony's heart – but Discord. "I never meant it! I sweat – I didn't!"

"Enough," the chimera said coldly, turning onto his side. "Visiting hours are over and the patient wishes to sleep." Each of the ponies exchanged looks, more than happy to leave (though Pinkie Pie was notably pouting), and each filed out the door; only Princess Celestia and Fluttershy remaining.

Head practically dragging across the ground, Twilight Sparkle miserably trudged to the door – only to be halted gently by her mentor's hoof. She looked up, the remains of her heart shattering at the disappointed and concerned look on her teacher's face.

"I want to speak with you a moment."

The purple mare sent one last apologetic look to the draconequus, who narrowed a sleepy eye until she turned around. Then, he closed it again. "Of course, princess..." She walked, practically incoherently – so incoherently that Celestia finally shook her head and gently nudged her onto her back as the unicorn smacked into a few walls on the way out.

Once they were safely outside and away from the listening ears, Twilight burst into tears, not bothering to hold anything back. There was no point – and she had broken down crying many times in front of her mentor. All she wanted was comfort, forgiveness, to be convinced she was not a monster.

Immediately, Celestia gently drew the sobbing unicorn into her with her wing, sighing over the pony's head as she lightly nuzzled her. "Twilight.."

"Princess, what do I do?" Twilight whispered hopelessly into Celestia's side, barely calming to the soft nuzzling. "I have no idea...I'm so lost.."

The alicorn gently nudged Twilight back, gazing slightly sternly into the tearful and remorseful eyes. Oh, she _hated_ this, but she still needed to get down to business. "Twilight, just what spell did you use?"

The purple mare shut her eyes tightly, tears squeezing out from the shut eyelids.

"Twilight?" Celestia pressed.

When Twilight spoke again, she really did sound like a chastised and whimpering little filly. "Th-the...the – I had been studying from the 'Alicorn's Power' spell book and I-"

Celestia cut her off: "The alicorn book, the one I told you not to try yet? The kind of spells that are only to be used by Luna and I, until a student can better harness their magic and tame it?" she asked tersely, then winced when Twilight gave a louder sob and collapsed against her leg. The princess held herself back from holding her sobbing student with all her might.

"I'm sorry.." It was barely understandable in the incoherent bawls. "It was all I could think of... Discord said the elements wouldn't work...it was all we had.. I didn't mean it-! I didn't know what..to do! It was all..I..could..think of.." Now her sentence was drawing out into a long and soft wail, guilt completely consuming her.

Celestia shook her head as she laid her student over her back again. _Oh, Discord...if only you could see what her guilt is doing to her. Maybe then you'd forgive her.. _Quietly, giving one last look back at the dark cottage and at the limp and shaking mare over her back, Celestia quietly took off to the skies.

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Fluttershy was having trouble sleeping. Angel was snuggled into a pillow beside her, but the pegasus could tell he wasn't sleeping either. Both were probably thinking about the same thing: Discord. Fluttershy had spent the night looking after him, feeding him, cleaning his cuts (oh, that had not gone too well; at least he didn't have magic!), and all in all, just trying to be a good nurse. She even attempted to make conversation with him, which had actually gone well for a while – until the pegasus tried to smooth his mane again; to which the draconequus relished back coldly.

Still, taking care of the spirit of disharmony surprisingly wasn't as terrifying as Fluttershy thought it'd be.

"Oh, Angel.. I do hope he will be better soon." When it really came down to it though...what would happen after that? Where would he go? Back to stone? Roam free? Sentenced to.._death? _She shuddered hard. Maybe it was best that he stayed crippled for a little while.

Angel thumped her on the back, seeming to be able to hear her gears turning in her head. He glared at her through an eye in the darkness.

"Oh, Angel.. I just cannot sleep." The pegasus sat up a bit, pulling down the blankets. "I think I'll go check on him again." She heard her bunny heave a heavy exasperated sigh, before begrudgingly hopping out of the bed with her. "He might need his bandages changed.." The yellow pegasus quietly fluttered out of the room, halting behind the door when she heard ... a whimper?

The chimera's form could faintly be made out through the pitch black room, as he writhed and struggled in distress. It was clear he had given up his weak thresh hold now that no pony was in the room with him, letting himself whimper and hiss in blue fire agony. A nearby candle Fluttershy had lit dappled light over Discord's raw and inflamed cuts; the bandages leaking through with red...and the wet shine in his eyes.

Fluttershy felt a deep pang of sympathy as the spirit tentatively rolled over on the bed, soft breathing indicating he had once again fallen asleep. She signaled to Angel that it was safe to go in, and both pony and bunny quietly tiptoed into the room. Angel snapped open the medical kit, while Fluttershy positioned herself by the draconequus's sore feet and tail, bandage in mouth.

Discord opened one tired red eye, darting it back to the pegasus that hadn't yet noticed he was awake. He watched her hesitate several times with the bandage, drawing back and advancing, repeating the cycle..

"Would you please hurry? I'd like to go to sleep." Discord blinked as Fluttershy gave a startled shriek, stumbling back into a book shelf. She pathetically wrapped her hooves over her head for coverage as the books pelted her from above. Discord just watched with amusement.

"Interesting, I didn't think you feared me as much anymore. Well, you are the wimp of the group."

"Y-you just startled me is all," Fluttershy squeaked, brushing a few books off her face and fluttering over to the edge of the bed again. "I-I didn't think you were awake." Now knowing her patient was awake, the pegasus began to hastily, but gently unwrap the wounds and toss away the old bandages, soaking a new one with medicine. "Are you feeling..any better?"

"Oh, one hundred percent," he snapped, a tad amused by her slight cower."Having difficulty sleeping, I'm afraid.." He grimaced. "And moving."

"I can give you more pain medicine if you'd like," Fluttershy offered. "Although it won't do much for the cuts.. I could get Twilight to cast a pain removal spell when she comes over tomorrow."

And again, I don't wish to try my luck with the killer unicorn again," he said flatly.

"Oh, please don't call her that," Fluttershy softly pleaded, tying a new bandage around the draconequus. "She really and truly didn't mean it. She feels just terrible about it!"

"Good."

"She only wants to make it up to you."

"Not interested."

"She wants to show she's sorry."

"I'm good."

"Oh, please listen to me!"

"Nope."

The pegasus gave a surrendering whine, flopping her face into a cushion on the end of his bed, and staying like that. She probably would have remained that way the entire night if Discord hadn't spoken up.

It was truly a question that had been racking the draconequus's brain all day, but it was one he preferred to ask the pegasus just one on one. "...Why are you helping me?"

Instantly, Fluttershy's head shot up as she stared at the spirit like his question was completely incomprehensible. "Well, I couldn't exactly _leave_ you there, could I? You would have died! I mean, I know you're not the nicest...but would you truly have left one of us there if we were in that condition?"

All that met her was silence for a few minutes; the candle light dancing across the red flecks in his eyes as he pondered. "Well, luckily I'm in control of my magic, so I don't ever have to answer that question."

"Well, I think you would help.. you're not totally a monster. I mean, you really could be a lot worse. Most monsters eat their victims with their sharp sharp teeth!"

Uh oh, it looked like Fluttershy had possibly given the spirit an idea. He smirked, pretending to contemplate that decision, eyes sparkling with mirth. "I wonder what ponies would taste like.. Maybe I'll bake them into cupcakes."

Fluttershy cringed, taking a while to realize he was only making fun. She was still unaccustomed to his dark and twisted humor. "Well...they'd probably taste..not too good," she squeaked, then fiddled with her hooves, desperate to change the subject now. "Do you want anything else? More blankets? Pillows? Soup?" She noticed an ear perk up at 'blankets.' "Blankets? Oh, okay.. Angel, could you run and get me a nice warm blanket please?"

The snow white bunny respectfully saluted and took off in a cloud of dust.

Fluttershy turned and walked back to the draconequus – and stepped on something soft and slightly crunchy. Raising her hoof, alarmed that she may have stepped on a bug, the pegasus discovered that it was the bouquet Twilight had dropped off earlier that day. The flowers were slightly brown and beginning to wilt from lack of water, but they still had life in them. She gently picked them up with her mouth and dropped them in the confused chimera's talon.

"What are you giving me these for?" he asked coolly.

"Twilight brought them over earlier, remember?"

"Of course," Discord growled, then knocked the wilting flowers off the bed. "I don't want them."

Fluttershy picked them up again, placing them gently on his chest. "It will be a waste to just leave them on the floor. Just think about it..."

The spirit didn't respond, and by now Fluttershy's eye lids were getting heavy as sleep finally began to gradually take over her. The pegasus curled up on the mat beside his bed, out before her head even touched the floor.

Angel hurried back, throwing the blanket over Discord; the blanket making a parachute motion as it inflated in the air and gently fell over the bed. The bunny then hopped up onto the bed and stomped on the edges of the mattress to tuck the sheets in. That done, he too fell back against the end of the bed and almost immediately drifted to sleep.

Discord grunted as he wriggled up under the covers a bit, gently easing himself to turn on his side and his arm crumpled something as he did. Looking down, the draconequus picked up the bouquet of wilted flowers. He contemplated what to do, content with the idea of either crushing them, throwing them, or ripping them up into confetti. Right as his talon curled around the petals to destroy them all, he stopped, recalling what Fluttershy had said. Pulling back, he looked at the dying flowers, nonchalantly twirling a petal between his fingers. Then, he lightly tossed the bouquet onto a nearby table, and snuffed out the candle.

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_(Low "Cupcakes" reference is low. XD_

_Discord likes soup. I don't know why I find that so amusing. _

_Anyhoo, I enjoyed writing the brief interactions with Discord and Celestia. XD They're hilarious talking to each other in the show, and I imagine they'd fight like an old married couple for some reason. I still gotta finish my Celestia and Discord drabble really badly. (Now that I think of it, it'd make sense after this fic though.)_

_And yes, I decided to add some Pinkie and Discord wayward endearing awkwardness for you Discopie-iers. I for one can't see a pairing, just best friends since they're a lot alike._

_And guilty Twilight makes you want to cry, does it not? Will Discord ever forgive her? Probably not as he is Discord, but stay tuned to find out how this endearing train wreck ends!_

_ Why do I sound like a Pokemon announcer...)_


	3. Chapter 3

Fluttershy's honey colored form froze right at the kitchen counter when she heard the distinct sound of blankets moving around. She pretended she couldn't see him, but the pegasus was able to catch a glimpse of the draconequus from the corner of a miffed blue eye.

"I told you not to try and get up..."

"You said that yesterday."

"It also applies for today." Sighing, the pegasus turned away from where she was stirring another batch of medicine and calmly trotted over.

She knew he was getting aggravated; he had been condemned to that little bed for almost two weeks now. Two weeks...it was hard to believe she had survived that long with him. It was a good thing she had such patience. "Now, I know you're very frustrated."

"Why can't I move yet?" Discord griped, attempting to move his leg and only earning a soft glare from Fluttershy in retribution. With a rather adorable and childish pout, he begrudgingly retracted his limb back under the blankets.

"Isn't physical work out essential to a healing process?"

The pegasus shook her head, nudging the annoyed spirit back onto his pillow. "Not when _every_ bone in their body is broken...and they cry every time they try to get up," she pointed out knowingly, slightly amused by his reddening face. "Besides, you just want to get moving again so you can cause chaos once more."

"Duh."

"Well, I'm not having any of that, mister!" Discord blinked, both surprised and impressed by the pony's sudden brashness – not to mention her mother-scolding-glare. "No more chaos for you until you get better."

Snorting in laughter, the spirit sunk back against the bed, deeply amused. "You sound like you're my mother." He had to smirk at the pony's barely audible little mumble:

"Someone's gotta be..."

Fluttershy brewed the last of the medicine, licking the sticky and bitter liquid that dripped onto the counter. She screwed up her face, then hastily bottled the disgusting gloop in several jars, shoving several of them into cupboards. "I need to leave for a little while to get some more supplies and bandages and such-"

He cut her off: "And you're leaving me here – alone? Unrestricted?" Playful venom shone in his eyes as he casually traced patterns on his pillow. "What if I try to ruin something?"

"You won't be alone; one of my friends are coming to stay," Fluttershy said, more reassuring herself than anyone. Oh, it would be worst case scenario to come home and find food turned into flowers, and flowers turned into lollipops. (Even though Pinkie Pie would just adore that.) Good thing Celestia still had his magic kept securely away from him.

"She'll also be reporting to me on your behavior..."

A dastardly smirk spread across the twisted face. "Oh, is that so? Well, I'll be sure to give her heck." The smirk only widened when he saw how much he was annoying the ever sweet and placid Fluttershy. "So, who's the little pony that will be my supervisor, hm?"

As if on cue, the distant stampede like sound could be heard, and Fluttershy sighed, watching as an enormous billowing cloud of dust rose up past her window. She could hear all her animals desperately scattering for safety – Angel included.

The door finally burst open, and there she was, cotton candy mane bouncing from an obvious run, apron hanging loosely around her bubble gum pink neck. The annoying squeal split the air and broke the sound barrier:

"Who wants to make cookiiiies!"

Instantly, the chimera's head flopped down into the pillow as he muffled the barely concealable groan of dread. "Oh _no..._" He felt the pegasus lightly and sympathetically pat him on the back of the head with a hoof.

"It will only be for a little while," Fluttershy chuckled awkwardly. "Maybe just an hour, and she will probably be too busy baking to really..."

"...Annoy me?" he decided to finish.

"...Yes." Still flashing the draconequus that wayward smile, Fluttershy grabbed a few bags in between her teeth and made her way to the end of the bed, meeting the ludicrous sight of Discord desperately clasping his paw and talon together, eyes pleading.

"Do not worry; I will be back soon." He blue eyes were stuck to those desperate red ones that seemed to be begging for mercy. "...Iiin the meantime, I don't want you to try and get up anymore. You aren't ready for it."

"Please," he growled, hostility leaking back into those beady mismatched eyes. "Where do you get off ordering me around?" He blinked when the pegasus once again glared.

"Come on now, I've been taking care of you for almost two weeks," Fluttershy protested, hooves slightly clasped in front of her, a hopeful smile curling the tips of her lips. "Just this once, do something for me?"

She watched him merely snort bitterly and continue making patterns on his pillow. Sighing, the pony knew she had no other choice, so she firmly stomped down her hoof and stood in front of him. The stomp from the ever gentle Fluttershy was enough to at least direct some of the stubborn spirit's direction to her, so Fluttershy began blinking to exercise her eyes.

"What's wrong, dear?" he teased, "something in your eye?" That's when the pegaus finally lashed out with the stare; wide hard blue orbs burning into his very soul like a vortex that one could easily be sucked into.

Discord just sort of stared back at the pegasus for a moment, then gave a wry and triumphant smirk. "Nice try."

Fluttershy let out her breath, chest deflating disappointingly like a popped balloon. "Oh well, I thought it was at least worth a shot." Of course chaos himself wouldn't fear something as meager and pathetic as 'the stare'. "Be good for Pinkie Pie," she said, closing the door.

Discord made sure that the pegaus was out of sight and earshot, then promptly let his ears fall back and his eyes to go wide. He grimaced, rubbing his chilled shoulders with crossed arms; the stare still fresh in his mind and probably would be for ages. "_Guh._"

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The crisp pale morning gave off to a warmer afternoon, where the windows could be open to let in the fresh comforting air. As such, it exchanged parting greetings with the aroma of muffins and cookies as it floated out into the summer breeze.

Yes, the overwhelming scent of so many baked goods was positively _nauseating._ Discord shut his eyes tightly, trying to fight the uncontrollable urge to finally retch and let it all go. No doubt the smell of vomit would make himself dizzier. He wriggled himself out from under the blankets, body hot and drizzled with the uncomfortable feeling of sweat.

As the day had gone on, he had gotten progressively sicker, and his pain had escalated from mild to severe; his body consumed in blue fire agony. Discord tried to shake off the subtle change his body took as a frightening sense of sleep was threatening to take over him.

"Le'see," Pinkie Pie mumbled, absently raiding Fluttershy's pantry for anything that might be tasty in her baked goods. "Do ya think that some hot sauce might taste good in it? I mean – yeah, it's weird – but I like, love spicy foods! Do you?" She took the weak unconscious and misleading head nodding as a yes.

"Okey-dokey-lokey then! Hot sauce it is!" The party pony then began to dump the crimson fiery liquid into the interesting concoction.

By now the pony's voice sounded like it was underwater to Discord.. Specks dotted his fading vision; his body sinking deeper and deeper into the bed, no longer able to fight the dark and vicious grip of unconsciousness.

Pinkie Pie gasped as she watched the draconequus's eyes close. Then, pouting, she stomped over to him and wagged a scolding hoof at his still body.

"Hey! No sleepy! Come on, I'm – like – trying to teach you to _bake _here!" She nudged him; he didn't move. "Fluttershy told me she didn't want ya sleeping yet! Come on, open those..weird eyes!"

But the draconequus stayed completely silent.

Pinkie Pie gave a loud huff of annoyance and rolled her eyes a bit. "Okay then, Disy- (he probably would have murdered her for that)- I didn't wanna do this, buttt..." Shrugging, the pony stepped down hard on the shattered tail-

-and there was no response. It was then that it finally dawned on Pinkie Pie as the sickening realization crashed down on her in waves. He wasn't sleeping. The earth pony let out a blood curdling scream as she darted out of the cottage faster than any time increment could measure, all the while screaming Fluttershy's name as she ran.

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"How did this happen?" With trembling and tear stained hooves, the pegasus wrung the drenched cloth out into the bucket of ice water, having trouble seeing through her brimming tears "I-I was just here! He was just fine – he was-he was being..mean and everything!" Shakily, with her mouth, she gently placed the cloth on the motionless creature's forehead.

"I don't know," Pinkie Pie whimpered. Her usual sickly cheerfulness had dissipated like the sun behind clouds, happiness replaced with solid fear.

"I-I...I was just _here!_" Fluttershy practically wailed, fighting with all her might to keep from breaking down in front of her best friend. "This morning, I was here and he was okay!" Brokenly, she shook the dying spirit, inwardly pleading he would at least open his eyes – do _something_ to ease the worst of her fears! ...But he didn't.

"Alright, what's goin' on here? I'm there stackin' apples in barrels and next thing I know Pinkie is screamin' like a howler monkey and demandin' we all git to Fluttershy's cottage immediately!" Applejack's voice cut through the soft whimpering cries and pants, directing all attention to the southern pony.

"I demand an explanation, ya hear?" Her eyes widened as they caught sight of the trembling little pegasus half buried into Pinkie Pie's leg. "What in tarnation? Fluttershy, what in the hay in goin' on?"

"Yeah, I'd like to know that-"

"I as well!" Two ponies both made their way into the cottage, looking concerned and disgruntled. One's usually curled purple mane was slightly ruffled, indicating she had not yet finished brushing her hair. (Which could be one of the main reasons why she looked incredibly annoyed.)

"Girls," Fluttershy was finally able to choke out, "it's Discord!"

Applejack took one good look at the spirit and even her heart skipped a beat. "What-what's wrong with 'im? Is he...dead?"

"No, b-but I fear he-" she swallowed a sob "-he may be really close to it! We need to get Twilight; she may be the only pony that might h-have a clue of what to do." The pegasus's eyes darted about her friends in confusion as she read their disheartened looks. "What? What-what is it?"

Applejack cleared her throat. "Ah, Fluttershy, no one seen Twi in...about a week. I mean, she just kinda stays in the library – which is _usually _Twilight, but..I think we know why she won't come out."

The remainder of Fluttershy's heart felt like it was stuck in her throat as she spoke. "B-but she might be the only one who can do something for him. Her magic, or-or she can contact the princess."

"I wouldn't hold yer breath on that, Sugarcube," Applejack whispered.

A look of utter devastation crossed the pegasus pony's face and she looked ready to crumple to the ground and cry. For once though, Fluttershy didn't break down and cry, shake, or break into a substance as soft and vulnerable as butter. She acted; eyes smouldering with anger and determination as her wings fanned out.

"Well I _am _holding my breath on it!" And the pegasus bolted through the open window before any pony could utter a word of complete shock.

Twilight Sparkle's library was not what Fluttershy remembered it to be. Granted, the pegasus rarely entered it; most of her friends prepared to arrange their gatherings somewhere other than such a 'bookish' – as Rarity would call it – place. Fluttershy never minded it since books were calm and quiet, just as she liked it, but today things were a bit...different.

Books were strewn everywhere (matter-a-fact, they looked as if they had been..tossed?), chairs had been overturned, looking like they had been kicked over, and the place was...dusty! In the midst of the carelessly tossed books was a worried and exhausted looking baby dragon struggling to keep up with the sudden escalation in cleaning. He glanced up at Fluttershy, then cast another look up to the stairs where Twilight was doubtlessly laying in bed.

"Oh, Fluttershy, I don't think..Twilight really wants any visitors right now," Spike began awkwardly, trying to gently usher Fluttershy out the door. She wasn't having it.

"Please, Spike, it is very important I see her immediately. A...a life depends on it!" The yellow pegasus didn't wait for a response as she darted up the stairway, amidst the purple dragon's protests.

"Twilight, Twilight, get up!"

The curled up purple form barely raised her head. "Fluttershy? I-I know you girls are probably a bit mad at me; I haven't come to seen you in a while-"

"We will talk about that later," Fluttershy said dismissively, placing a firm and coaxing hoof on the unbrushed mane. "Right now I need you to come to my cottage immediately." Instantly, the pegasus noted the unicorn start to tremble.

"No...I can't. I-I can't see him, not after what I did. I just can't."

Fluttershy took a deep cleansing breath, deciding it best she try a different approach and ease Twilight into this. "Twilight, why are your books all over the floor? Your books are so important to you... Why would you just toss them?"

The mare pulled back a hoof, revealing an open book that she had obviously been reading all night to try and cope with her grief. "My books are important to me; those were my spell books. I...I can't look at them right now." The bed jumped a bit as Fluttershy stomped her hoof.

"Twilight, you are the element of magic! You cannot just stop being who you are because of..because of one little mistake.." A little worried, the pegasus kept checking her best friend over to make sure she wasn't turning gray again.

"You are magic, and you can never stop doing magic, and you _know _that..."

No response.

"Please..." The weak barrier was once again cracking in a million places as the tears threatened to return in buckets. "I need your help so badly..you have no idea. Please at least come to my cottage, even if you..you do not do anything. I just..I need you."

"..."

"...Didn't you say you do not ever ever abandon friends?" It was more a rhetorical question since Fluttershy didn't even bother hoping for a response, and as such, didn't wait to see if Twilight even acknowledged the deep enquiry. She got ready to take to the skies once more, and the hoof fell on her shoulder. She turned.

Twilight raised her head, smiling in that light uplifting way that Fluttershy and the ponies were sure they'd never see again. "What do you need?"

Positively beaming, the yellow pegasus wrapped her hooves firmly around her best friend and smiled. "First, I need Spike to deliver a letter to the princess. I think she might be the only one that can really help us; I'm sure she has enough magic. Please let her know that...that Discord has taken a turn for the worst and it is an absolute emergency!"

Twilight nodded firmly and called over the banister. "Spike, ya got that?" When she looked over the railing, she was shocked to see the scroll already disappear in a green sparkling cloud.

"Check!"

"Now, Twilight, gather up some of your spell books," Fluttershy advised, ignoring her best friend's cringe at the very thought of even laying one eye on those horrid books. "You may need them."

Twilight gazed down at one of the books with fear, as if it was the spirit of death itself. It used to be her favorite, and she used to read it every night as a filly; sometimes Celestia read it to her. Its edged were worn and wrinkled, and the picture on the cover was fading with the inked on words. Now, Twilight couldn't look at it – couldn't look at any of them without feeling her heart being thrust into further dark turmoil.

None the less, with a trembling mouth, she picked it up, tossing it into her saddlebag.

Fluttershy had gathered a few herself, not bothering to look at what they were, mostly because she knew they were spell books and that was enough. Twilight Sparkle watched the pegasus sit there despondently, hooves twitching anxiously, biting her lip.

"How long does it take for the princess to respond to a letter?" Fluttershy demanded, voice rugged with fear.

"Not usually long if it's an emergency. Oh, but she...she might be in a Council meeting."

The remnants of Fluttershy's heart sunk deep into her stomach as she fell further into despair. The princess may have been their only hope; they wouldn't be able to do this on their own. "Then-then let's just go, and hope she responds soon."

The ponies galloped through the pile of discarded books, and towards the door. It was Fluttershy that skidded to a stop first – Twilight following suit as the blinding white glow bathed over the both of them. The snow white wings extending first, and then her pale serene body came from the mist.

Princess Celestia lowered her head to them both. "Let's go."

xxxxxxxx

It didn't seem like the ponies had only left for about fifteen minutes; it looked more like the spirit had been left there in burning hot agony for days without care or respite. His eyes didn't open and his chest barely rose, but every so often his muscles made involuntary spasms as the sickness racked his body without rest.

"Comatose," Celestia muttered, earning cries of horror and shock from the group of anxious ponies (one still crying into Twilight). "Definitely c..comatose."

Celestia breathed out as she stepped away from the draconequus. By now, he was so feverish he was radiating heat.

"Well...what do we do?" Fluttershy whimpered. "How do we wake him up?"

"How did this even happen, princess?" Twilight Sparkle whispered, visibly still keeping a few guilty feet from the bed. "Aren't all three of you supposed to be...immortal?"

The princess finally turned away from the bed (rather glad to have her attention averted from the grim sight), and calmly strode up to the group of ponies. It was hard to keep her composure when she really studied the looks on their faces. They seemed so lost and confused; it was Fluttershy and her student that broke her heart the most.

"We..are immortal, in a sense." She sat down with them, folding her wings in and speaking carefully. "We cannot die from illnesses, though we can contract them."

A spark of hope came to Fluttershy's eyes. "Then, Discord should be o-"

Celestia gently cut her off: "We can be physically hurt and killed by brute force though. And..." She took a breath, looking at the fibers of the carpet. "We can die if the illness results from our injuries, because it wouldn't be just a simple virus coursing through our bodies. Odds are that if we got sick from our injuries, it would be..."

"Princess," Twilight pressed desperately.

"...Blood poisoning."

Dead silence. Everyone in the group bit their lips and looked at each other, some stone faced, the rest with wet cheeks. No one wanted to look at the spirit now, since odds were high that his cuts had turned a raw pulsing purple that probably stretched over his appendages. Not a pretty sight.

Fluttershy by this point was barely understandable as the words jumbled out with muddled sobs. "But you're the P-Princess Of The Sun! You have more magic than any pony in Equestria! Y-you...you should be able to cure him instantly!"

The princess had a pained look on her face. "I am not a goddess of the sick though; I am the Goddess Of The Sun. This isn't something that can be done with the snap of a hoof, dear. Healing magic is one of the most complicated magic in Equestria, mostly because of how potent it is. It is something that can rarely be done."

"I don't understand!" Twilight protested. "When I was with you a lot in Caterlot you-you sometimes healed some wilted flowers. I mean, it's a living thing."

"Uh, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash had a slightly deadpan look on her face. "I think, ya know, a flower is a bit easier to revive than a pony."

Celestia nodded in agreement. "Correct." She bent down to Twilight. "Do you also remember that day we strolled in the forest? You found a..a dead bunny near a bush." She cringed when she heard Fluttershy's breath hitch, knowing that _that _probably wasn't the best thing to have on the fragile pegasus's mind right now.

"I-I remember," Twilight Sparkle whispered. "But you said nothing could be done for it... Guess you can't resurrect things either?"

The princess grimly nodded. "This time it isn't the matter of the spell being too strong. Resurrection is something forbidden for the royalty of Equestria."

The mane six looked hopelessly confused, all exchanging looks.

"It's _forbidden?_" Twilight asked incredulously. "Why on earth – you're the princess! You should be able to do whatever you want!"

Celestia shook her head solemnly. "The royalty in Equestria represents harmony and the balance of life, and as such, it is what Luna and I are; _we_ are the spirits of harmony and the balance of life. Discord is the spirit of chaos and the unbalance of life."

"With all due respect, your highness, we all know this," Applejack pointed out. "Why is it y'all are repeating it?"

"Because, Applejack, resurrection breaks every law of the natural cycle of life, so Luna and I can't use that magic..."

The southern pony's eyes narrowed. "Wait just a cotton-pickin' minute – are ya telling us.."

"Discord is the only one that can use resurrection magic." The celestial princess watched every pair of eyes bug out. "Because Discord represents the unbalance of life and can break any law of life, he is the only one that can bring back the dead. I never have seen him do it, nor have I seen him kill, but he possess both powers."

"So, waitaminute," Pinkie Pie held up a hoof; "You mean the only one that can bring back the dead and heal himself is, like, the one that can't even MOVE right now? That is so _not _fair!"

"These rules suck," Rainbow Dash growled, earning a reprimanding sharp nudge in the leg from Applejack and a hissed "Rainbow!"

"No, you're right," Celestia defended her. "They do entirely."

"But what do we do?" Fluttershy whimpered, and all heads turned to her, a little over shocked by what they witnessed. The pegasus was nothing more than a trembling and quietly weeping little ball of butter by this point. Every pony watched as she tenderly, almost motherly, smoothed a gentle hoof down Discord's ghastly face, occasionally nuzzling his limp lion paw now and then.

The princess and the ponies exchanged looks, conveying the words they didn't bother saying. Every face looked to the alicorn with desperation now, not able to stand seeing their friend in so much pain. Celestia felt positively helpless.

"Wh-what about the Elements?" Twilight asked meekly. "Can't the Elements do anything?" Her friends turned to her, hope lighting their eyes as shouts of "yeah, the Elements will help him!" and "It's the Elements Of _Harmony_- of course it'll save him!"

The room fell into an anguished silence when Celestia grimly shook her head once more.

"I'm sorry, my little ponies, but the using the Elements is perhaps the most..unintelligent idea by far."

"What?" Twilight cried. "Princess, you can't be serious! It's the most powerful magic known to Ponydom!"

Celestia sighed, the increasingly heart broken little faces cutting her to her very soul. "The Elements' soul purpose is to protect and do what is best for Equestria, and they will only do what they think is right. We never have had any control over what they'd do, we just had to put our faith in hoping they'd do what is right."

Fluttershy wiped her wet and glossy blue eyes. "Y-you mean you never meant to encase him in stone?"

"Honestly," Celestia confessed, "I was certain they'd kill him. I..I prayed to Equestria that wouldn't have to be the case – I prayed that he'd be reverted back to the way he used to be when he was like family to Luna and I – when we were children." She watched the pupils go wide, but didn't expand on that. It was another story entirely.

"I don't get it though," Twilight exclaimed, shaking her head. "I mean, Nightmare Moon was never encased in stone."

The princess inwardly shuddered as she did so often when that evil rendition of her baby sister was mentioned. "Nightmare Moon was a dark possessive influence that was spawned by Luna's inner turmoil. My little sister was always in there though – somewhere deep down, repentant for her sins, so that is why she could be saved."

"That makes sense, I-I guess." By now, Fluttershy had finally wobbled her way back to the group; there was nothing more she could do for the spirit anyways.

"B-but Discord...he..he isn't all bad! I've taken care of him for weeks and I- and I'd know that! And you.." She looked at the princess pleadingly. "You just said that Discord used to be..family to you, so you'd know that he isn't all bad either.."

Celestia sighed. "He has been mischievous and could be cruel from the very beginning, even when he was just a little pup; he was already learning about his power and what he could do with it. Discord was encased in stone because he cannot change.

His being emanated from the disharmony and unbalance that was once Equestria, and his soul purpose was to cause chaos and twist the balance of life on it's back. He is capable of all emotion and can love whomever he wants, but there will always be that darkness in his heart that can't be removed even if he wished to remove it. Causing chaos is what he was born to do; it was where he was born from. The Elements knew that and knew he needed to be sealed away for the sake of Equestria."

A heavy look cast over the princess's face. "And why he may need to be sealed again."

In the dead silence of the tension filled room, a soft voice spoke:

"...Maybe that's what we have to do." Everyone looked at Fluttershy. "Maybe sealing him in stone is the only thing that will save him from...s-such a-" sob "-horrible death!"

It shattered the princess's heart, but she had to once again shake her head. "No, dear... that is also one of the worst things we can do. If we seal him in stone this way, he will either remain in this agony or he will die in the stone."

The heart wrenching sob split through the air as the little pegasus's voice and emotions quickly reached hysterics. "Then what do we _do!_ We are – we are all out of options and we are running out of _time!_" Applejack tried to wrap her hooves around her sobbing friend, but the distraught pony pushed her away.

"...We have only one option." The princess stood up. "The chances are slim that it will work, but it is our only shot at this point.

If two magics counteract with each other it may be strong enough to at least heal the blood poisoning and perhaps speed the process of his overall healing. If performed correctly, he will come from the coma and perhaps his life will no longer be in imminent danger."

"Please," Fluttershy whispered. "Try it – try anything."

The princess gazed down at the shaking and sniffling pegasus and her heart soared. Gently, she lowered her head and softly nuzzled the pony slightly.

"You have a wonderful heart, little one. Even with everything he has done, you want him to be saved. You are truly a wonderful friend to your friends..and to him."

If Discord was awake and coherent, he'd doubtlessly cringe and go "Ugh, gag me!", not to mention be baffled by the "friend" comment. Though – honestly, every pony in that room would welcome it.

A silver pink glow enveloped Celestia's horn, and – in a flash – a large leather spell book appeared; the pages flipping by her magic. Everyone noticed Twilight's eyes widen in horror when she read the title:

_Alicorn's Power._

"The 'Alicorn's Power' is of the most advanced magic in Equestria, and it is called '_Alicorn's _Power' for a reason. It is seldom that any pony but an alicorn can tame and use this magic. ...It is our only shot though." She turned to the group of bewildered ponies. "But I cannot do this on my own."

Instantly a small unicorn was in front of her, but not by her own accord.

"Hey!" Rarity exclaimed. "Dear Equestria, have you all lost your horseshoes? I'm surprised I managed to lug his body all the way to the cottage – there is no way I can _possibly _use this...alicorn..magic...thing! Oh, but I could..knit him a lovely scarf to keep warm, if he..needs it," Rarity said pathetically.

"Thank you, Rarity," Celestia smiled, "but it isn't you I need right now." On cue, every pony stepped aside, revealing the crouched down and slightly balled up purple unicorn.

"Princess...I can't." Her mentor's hoof stepped down firmly in front of her, a slightly stern look on the princess's face.

"Twilight Sparkle, listen to yourself speak; you are doubting yourself, and that is not the student I've taught and raised all these years." She firmly nudged her snout under the little mare's chin, forcing her to look at her. "And you know it."

"But look at what I've done with that...that horrible spell book! I've almost killed him!" She collapsed against her teacher's leg, shaking with grief.

"And now you have a chance to make it up to him. You could save his life..."

The mare barely brought her tear stained face out from her mentor's fur and looked at the dusty book on the carpet. Only a mere week ago did that book almost end his life...Irony did work in weird ways. She looked up into Celestia's gentle and encouraging purple eyes.

"I know you can do it, my faithful student. ..I call you 'my _faithful _student' for a reason." She pressed her cheek against the quivering unicorn's. "Please... You are the only thing standing between his death; you're the only one that can determine whether he lives or dies."

"Yeesh," Pinkie Pie grimaced. "No pressure or anything..." This earned an annoyed jab from her friends and a "shhhh!"

The purple mare stared into her teacher's gentle and comforting face, and looked at Celestia's extended hoof of encouragement. Finally, determination set in her face, she took the hoof in a firm grip and followed her mentor to the bed side. The group had only been turned away from him for a few minutes, but again, it seemed so much longer.

"Have you been reading up on the healing spell?" Celestia asked the apprehensive unicorn, receiving a stiff nod in return.

"Just focus, Twilight; focus and believe in yourself. Remember who you are: you are the Element Of Magic."

All Twilight could do was nod, and the spell commenced.

Discord's pale and disheveled body was bathed in a soft pink hue that flashed every few seconds – like a heart beat.

"This magic mimics the movement of a heartbeat; it will tell us if he is still alive or not." Celestia turned to the group. "Every pony, stand back."

She turned to her student and gripped her hoof for reassurance. "Are you ready, Twilight?" The unicorn shakily nodded once more.

A dark tone washed over the room; the only light being the golden orbs emanating from the two horns, and the dim glow surrounding Discord. A soft melodious whistle sounded through the room, and a gentle breeze from the spell caressed through the mane of every pony.

"Focus," Celestia ordered loudly over the whistle. "No doubts now! Doubting yourself will cause an immediate failure."

Twilight Sparkle squinted her eyes shut as tight as she could, forcing herself to take deep cleansing breaths as the ribbon of power uncurled from inside her horn. Unlike last time, there was no unseen gravitational pull; it was subtle and calm, entwining with the princess's.

The dim light surrounding Discord began to fade, weakly pulsating.

"No!" Fluttershy cried, evidently being held back from the scene by her friends. "No, Discord, hang on..! Please hang on!"

Both Celestia and Twilight's eyes opened for a split second, their hearts constricting when they noted how weak the light was; like a mere candle with a dying flame, seconds to go before it completely goes out.

_Discord, please..._ Celestia inwardly whispered. _Please, this is for the sake of Twilight and Fluttershy; the rest of the ponies...and..and me. You have more to live for then you realize and you have to fight! Fight with us! I know you still have that ever stubborn fighting will in you – fight!_

Another pony was desperately screaming in her thoughts: _Please, Discord... please, I just want to __finally make it up to you! I want you to forgive me and even if you don't, I want you to at least live! Please..for Fluttershy..._

She looked back to her friends.

_For all of us..._

The light around the spirit was but a mere dim prick of pink now, and it could barely be seen. The spell was failing...

...And he was fading...

Suddenly – before any pony could react – Fluttershy burst out of her friend's hold and bound across the room before any pony could stop her, and she gripped his limp paw tightly, pressing it close to her.

_I remember my mother once telling me that a person will never die unless they know they have someone who is worth fighting for... Please, can't you see that I can bee that someone? That I want to be? I've wanted to ever since I first took you in, saw you laying there in pain in that cave... Oh please, don't give up yet.. You have someone. I know you don't think you need someone-!_

_...But you do._

From the pegasus's tightly shut eyes and copious volume of tears, she could see the sudden brightly flashing light. Eyes wide with astonishment, she stared as the spirit's form as the light glowed brighter and brighter. It was positively blinding, but no pony cared.

All at once, the light had vanished in an instant, from both the draconequus and the unicorns, and the room was completely silent.

Then, a shift.

Breathing was held.

And an eye flutter.

Fluttershy's grip became tighter.

Finally, those confused and annoyed ruby mismatched eyes opened, as he looked to see that every pony was surrounding his bed, all eyes on him.

"...What are you staring at?"

A chorus of happy and relieved cheers broke through the silence, further sparkling tears shed; ponies hopping, and some just collapsing in relief and exhaustion.

Hopelessly confused, Discord finally rolled his eyes in annoyance – and they fell on the little pegasus at his side. She stared back at him, motionless, her eyes barely even seeming to be seeing him.

"What's up with-" But the spirit was cut off, his entire body jumping in shock as the foreign little form launched herself at him, draping herself over his covered chest and sobbing inconsolably.

"..." He froze, utterly baffled.

Celestia swallowed hard as she approached him – and as if the draconequus couldn't be any more surprised today! – she had tears in her own eyes. "How are you feeling now?"

He licked his dry lips and tried to ignore the bawling pony cuddled into him. "Could be better, but...I could be worse." Indeed some of the pain had been taken away; his fever already fading.

Celestia pushed a very stiff little purple mare towards his bed side with a hoof. "And you have Twilight to thank for that."

Twilight's eyes were directed firmly to the floor, the tears rolling down her cheeks as she predicted what he might say. Laugh at Celestia's idiocy? Snarl at her? A sarcastic retort? Oh, did it really matter that she had saved his life? She still almost destroyed it.

And she certainly didn't respond what came from his mouth:

"...Thanks." Her head shot up instantly; he now focused a sour 'but I still don't like you' look on his face. Still, it made it easier for the unicorn to breathe, and tonight, she'd finally be able to sleep.

Discord sat himself up on the bed and smirked devilishly at the princess. "Oh, Tia, darling, would you be a dear and please give me just the slightest _smidgen_ of my magic back? I've been dying with boredom here." All ponies visibly cringed at the poor choice of words.

Celestia was glad her face was turned from him, because it had flushed a deep red. She wasn't sure what was more embarrassing: the fact he had once again reverted to calling her by her childhood name, or the fact he called her 'darling.'

Still, if anything, he deserved just a little treat, so she bent her horn quietly to fufill that wish, and watched as he grinned as the small amount of power flowed through him once more.

The princess turned to the group of ponies still cheering excitedly, and smiled. "I think it's time we finally leave to let these two get some rest." Beaming, she filed out with the group, but not before gently nuzzling her student with pride.

"I'm _so _proud of you.."

The mare nudged affectionately against her teacher's cheek. "Thank you, Princess..." Both girls giggled when they heard Discord making a dramatic gagging noise from behind them, and they cast a glance back to the spirit and the sobbing pegasus once more before quietly shutting the door.

With the crowd gone, Discord immediately turned his attention to Fluttershy, who was still sobbing into him. Since the pegasus had leaped on him, he felt...odd. The cries and archaic embrace somehow managing to ever so slightly wriggle their way into his frigid heart.

He didn't speak to the pony, only absently raked a claw through the roseate mane, convincing himself he was only trying to get her to calm down so she'd shut up and he could sleep.

But that probably wasn't the reason.

Now after all these weeks, he could finally feel the power – all though little – surge through him. Oh, at last he could mess with this sickeningly cutesie wootsie house just a bit! He had plans for it since he was first brought to this cottage. Maybe some wallpaper with giant frightening looking bugs, oh, and turn some of those plates into frisbees and pizza pies.

But – nah – as his first act of magic in two weeks what did he choose to do? Simply summon a blanket and gently lay it over Fluttershy.

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_(Long...chapter...is...long. I am so sorry for this. XD I know you probably won't even have the patience for this, but hopefully you do, cause it's the best one by far._

_Discord fears the "Stare." Okay, that's even more amusing._

_ANYWAYS, so yay, Twilight finally starts to make it up to him a bit..by saving his life. Whoop-whoop!_

_And I have to admit that the ending was solely inspired by this AMAZING fic that I read over and over again "Cemented" and I even got permission from the writer to use one of her lovely lines at the end._

_So, someone is warming up to Fluttershy a little bit. As Celestia predicted though, he can't change, so this fic may get interesting._

_Also, there is no intended romance in this fic other than friendship; Discord and Fluttershy friendship, and - eh, I guess if you want to go far enough, that wayward trainwreck of a friendship of Pinkie and Discord could be considered a romance, but I wouldn't go there._

_I personally love Dislestia though. So stay tuned for the next chapter which focuses mainly on Fluttershy and Discord)_


	4. Chapter 4

It was silent outside the placid little cottage, and it looked like Princess Luna had raised a glorious moon once again as it passed the trees of the Evergreen Forest, ascending over the thin stretching clouds and mingling with the stars. Bunnies and bears had retired to their dens as had the residents in the cottage, and all was peaceful.

Well, almost all was.

_Fluttershy was locked in the wicked grip of sleep and terror, legs kicking the air frantically and almost bucking the alarmed draconequus in the face. Like a frightened puppy, she rolled over, trying to bury into Discord's chest, attempting to muffle out the resonating blood curdling screams and blot out the frightening visions from her head and mind. It didn't seem to be any use._

_Her grip on the warm fur of his chest seemed to suddenly melt away, and all that her hooves felt was a frigid wind – that suddenly blasted through her mane. Screaming, the pegasus curled up desperately against the grass, covering her head and whimpering a soft insistent prayer to the princesses that this horror would all end._

_"He won't change," Celestia was saying from somewhere in that wind. Her voice was somber and Fluttershy could almost see her sadly shaking her head. In fact, she could make out the multi colored mane painted somewhere into the dark clouds, and the grim faced frown as well. The princess silently turned her head._

_"He can't change."_

_Acid rain was now mixing with the copious volume of tears glued to Fluttershy's face, and she furiously spat out strands of her drenched mane that had gotten into her mouth. On wobbling dripping legs, the pony stood._

_"You don't know that, and you can't say that about him, princess!" she cried out, struggling to get her volume to reach over the roaring wind. "You're the princess of all that is good and pure, and you – you should be able to see the goodness in everyone!" She stomped a hoof to punctuate her sentence, studying the translucent princess's reaction._

_"He is the only exception," Celestia continued; "His being is all that is tainted in this world – the pain, the disasters. He thrives off it and he is born from it."_

_Fluttershy shook her head indignantly, wrapping her hooves around her shivering body and squeezing shut her tea green eyes. "I won't be..believe it! He may be bad..but-but he isn't all bad! I-I have taken care of him for weeks now and he has never hurt me or anyone.. Please, try to see this my way!" she pleaded into the gray clouds._

_Celestia's sad violet eyes bored into her, sympathetically shaking her head once more. "Fluttershy, you are letting your heart take over your mind, and it could be what will lead to your death."_

_A chill of fright zapped the pony from her spine to her hooves, but she forced herself to stand tall and not allow her knees to buckle once more. How sincere and convincing would she look to the princess quivering and crying like a filly?_

_"Your highness, please don't take him away.. Oh, pl-please don't encase him in stone again!"_

_Celestia's decision was unmoved by this pitiful prayer, and her ghost like form was beginning to fade out from the storm clouds, causing Fluttershy to panic and cry desperately to the sky, begging not to be left alone again. A pale hoof emerged from the cloud, and the little pegasus desperately tried to reach out to it, but an unseen force yanked her back._

_"He's coming!" Celestia cried, voice shaking in fear. "Run, Fluttershy! Run! Abandon your kindness; it my be the only thing that will save your life!"_

_"No, listen!" Fluttershy hopelessly sobbed to the clouds, finally letting her fragile body crumble into the thick mud. "Please...listen to..meee.."_

_There was a sudden splinter; the tree slamming into the soft wet earth before the pegasus could even move. She shrieked as her tail got caught under the cement like branch, but the little pegasus was too tired to fight. She only watched on in horror as a sudden domino effect occurred, and it seemed like the entire forest was falling in._

_Then, he emerged from behind the shadows. His twisted and zig-zagged body towered over the tallest pine tree of the forest, and thick saliva stuck to a row of needle sharp teeth. His single snaggle tooth was accented by about ten others, and some thin and sharp, reaching over his chin and up into his nostril. Those tiny red flecks in his eyes now covered his sockets without an iris or a pupil. It was only a sea of blood red. The paper like spikes on his tail were now a barrage of thick pointed thorns; some reaching almost ten feet._

_Fluttershy felt an eerie calmness; well, either that or her body was absolutely consumed in numbness by the sudden onset of fear. Her throat was sticky and her lungs twisted together, siphoning off almost all her oxygen._

_Still, the pegasus managed to gather enough to whisper this:_

_"That's not you."_

_He uttered a deep and sickening laugh, long snake neck slithering towards her, fangs bared and gently, teasingly, pricking her face._

_**"Oh, don't like the new look, my little pony? I could have sworn you were frightened of the way I looked before!**__" Without waiting for an answer, Discord blew a casual streak of flame into a few trees, engulfing a good portion of the forest in fire._

_Fluttershy finally managed to force out a strangled scream as she watched the once beautiful and luscious green forest become a huge smouldering ball of fire, and she watched the animals screech, chirp, and squeak in panic as they stumbled through the bushes to avoid the deadly kiss of the embers._

_"Discord!" she wailed, "please oh please, stop this!" Once again he only gave a throaty laugh and the pegasus screamed as his eagle talon – far sharper and curved than she remembered – slammed her into the tree, drawing blood. Her body jarred with pain, but the usually sensitive pegasus was completely wiped and could only give a squeak of pain._

_The monster laughed cruelly, watching as the pony slid limply down the tree and back into the mud._

_**"What's wrong with you, dear? Shouldn't you be happy? After all, all you wanted was for me to be better and I'm as healthy as a horse."** He sneered down at the barely conscious pony. "**Well, healthier than you, anyways.**"_

_Fluttershy's eyelids were getting heavy, and she seemed to have been slammed harder than she thought. She gave in to her impending demise, flopping onto her side and watching as his body slithered closer to her in the air, teeth prepared to sink into her butter colored flesh._

_That's when the form swooped her up in his arms; his tail almost getting bitten clean off the bone as he did. He flew up, beating his mismatched wings against the wind and rain, holding the limp pony tightly in his arms. For just a moment, his eyes settled on the demon before him and he stared, looking as if he couldn't fathom what he was seeing. Finally, shaking his head, he disappeared past the clouds._

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Fluttershy was still screaming, and her voice was barely more than a raspy whisper by this point; gone from the nightmare and the day's traumatic ordeal. Still thrashing, the pegasus desperately and incoherently scrambled a hoof through the air, trying to find any familiar part of him to cling onto. Though – after that horrific nightmare – did she really want to?

Finally, she opened her blood shot eyes, realizing she was at the very end of the bed (no wonder she couldn't find him), and almost hanging off the side. Fluttershy was almost too terrified to turn back and look at him. What would she find? That demon with those massively sharp teeth and blood red eyes? Ready to rip off her legs and her flanks, and her-

She turned around. No. No demon; just a very confused (and worried?) draconequus still bandaged, laying on his side and studying her horror stricken face.

He decided to state the obvious: "bad dream?" His only response was for the pegasus to sob and bury herself deep into his furry chest. By now, all her cries were barely audible squeaked out little wheezes, and she was utterly exhausted. Her entire body was shaking and the pegasus pony was ghastly white, looking ready to throw up.

"I..it was just..." Fluttershy shuddered down a sob and some bile, comforted by the warm cinnamon fur. "Just a little nightmare...it's over now." Her tone indicated that she wasn't trying to convince him, but herself. She repeated it consistently, voice drowning out and slurring in exhaustion. Right before her head flopped back down into the blankets and his chest, a paw wedged itself under her chin.

"So, care to elaborate, my dear?"

She immediately averted her eyes away from him, focusing them past him, towards the moon. There was no way she could tell him; he'd think she's completely lost her mind! Either that or..come to think of it, would he actually be.._hurt_she dreamed that way about him? Well she knew she had to say something fast; his expression was just becoming more and more suspicious.

There was no other choice but to fabricate a little lie:

"I..I just dreamed this weird furry l-little green monster chased me is all.. It was nothing too big, but-" she forced out a nervous laugh "-you know me and monsters!" She could tell he wasn't buying this lie, and his expression was becoming more and more grim looking, hard red eyes focused on her.

"Interesting.." he finally said; "Even if your Element isn't 'honesty', I still never expected you to be such a blatant liar."

Fluttershy cowered lowly, her lips squeezing shut so tightly it felt as if someone had pulled a thread through and was yanking it. "What?" she barely squeaked. "I-I'm not ly-lying!" Oh, she was horrible at this, and here ponies thought _Applejack _was the worst liar.

Discord smirked and laid back. "I'm not sure what's more insulting: the fact you dreamed me as such a hideous..creature, or that you have the audacity to lie straight to my face about it."

Now the squeak was probably only audible to the dogs and large eared animals outside. "_What?_"

The draconequus sat up, looking quite disgruntled and annoyed, twisted mouth turned into a slightly pouting frown. "I mean, fine, I understand you dreaming of me all...'evil' – but the drooling, foaming, and disgusting fangs? Oh indeed! You could have at least dreamed of a more gentleman rendition of my evil self."

Still getting over the shock of what he just said, Fluttershy forced a smile when she saw that he was trying to make light of the situation.

"How did you even know?"

Discord blinked, then scoffed as if the pony's question was the most ridiculous he had ever heard. "Oh, what, how little do you think of my powers? Honestly, my dear; I can shape shift into a balloon, a butterfly – just about anything, and you think my power's influence don't go as far as to invade dreams as well?"

The pegasus lowered her head, conflicting emotions visibly going across her face. On one hand, it was incredibly sweet for him to enter her nightmare and save her unconscious state from being tormented further. On the other hand, well, she couldn't help but feel slightly freaked out and violated.

"Oh, well...th-thank you. I wanted that nightmare done as soon as possible."

Well, true that he had invaded her mind, her dream – one of the only places she could just be by herself without any worries (if a monster wasn't chasing her, that is), but he had only done it because he was worried about her. Oh, the racket she must have made for the past hour! Perhaps it would have been easier to simply shake her awake, but when it really came down to it she wouldn't want to have been jolted awake only seconds after the beast had consumed her.

"How..often do you invade dreams, may I ask?" she whispered. He turned sharply towards her and the pegasus immediately cowered again when she could tell she had offended him.

"Oh? You're implying that you didn't wish for me to end that horrific nightmare?" he asked casually. "Shall I send you back into it?" Discord smirked wickedly, teasingly pressing his fingers together, about to snap them.

"Come to think of it, I am interested to see if that demon me was going to have you for a snack or not." He snickered at the pure pale horror on Fluttershy's face. "Shall we see how the events are going to pan out?"

"No!" Fluttershy cried, grabbing his claw, not having realized he was joking. "No, please.. I am very grateful – I swear it! It was just a question, and I th-thank you again for taking me out of that nightmare." She lowered her head. "And I'm sorry I dreamed of you being so...such a demon."

The draconequus's playful smile dropped, replace by a look of solid confusion. He tilted his head, chuckling awkwardly. " It isn't as if you can control what happens in your subconscious mind; you apologize for the weirdest things."

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The dream spasms seemed to become a regiment of life quickly for both Discord and Fluttershy, and they occurred almost every night. Discord was soon familiar with Fluttershy's screams – that could honestly reach quite a volume. He also grew accustomed with spending a portion of his night in her dreams to yank her out of them if things got too bad. More often than not, he'd usually just alter the dream and turn it into a pleasant little paradise.

Fluttershy had also gotten used to something new in her routine: pranks. Pranks, and lots of them. It became natural for food to turn into bouncy balls, and for plates to turn into pizza or pie. Banana peels on the rug and glue on chairs and couches was also a norm in the cottage. Fluttershy never complained too much; after all, he could do so much worse!

The question that both tried to avoid was inevitable to come up in their minds, but they tried to keep it out of conversation. ...What would happen when he got better? He was already getting much stronger, and had managed to take his first step down onto the ground after not even a month had passed. Soon, he wouldn't need Fluttershy's help anymore..but where would he go? For that matter, what would he do? Go back to planning to thrust Equestria in chaos?

...Or back into stone?

It was a question Fluttershy tried not to think of it, but the possibility of her time with him coming to an end wasn't something she could easily stop from racking her brain. She wondered how her friends would take it; they had actually grown to kind of like him.

For that matter, how would _he _take it?

The pendulum of dwindling time was still ticking that morning when Fluttershy awoke early to go take care of her flowers. Light was already beginning to seep through the windows, so Discord was woken early as well, and just in time to see that roseate curled little tail slip out of the door.

The draconequus rolled over (oh, how good it felt to finally roll over!), annoyed that the little pony just went out and left him. This was supposed to be his first day outside, and he wasn't sure if he could make it out there on his own; as degrading as it was having to resort to asking a pony for help.

The draconequus rubbed the sleep from his eyes, realizing he'd have to try and make it outside on his own, since the stupid little filly forgot about him. For the first time in weeks, he flexed his stiff reforming wings, stifling a yelp of pain as they made a painful ping from having been neglected for so long. His legs lifted into the air, as did his tail, which he wagged excitedly. Oh finally – he could move again!

Fluttershy's eyes widened when she saw the slightly aggravated creature emerge from her cottage doorway. His wings were flapping insistently, happy to be flying. However, he was glaring, and the pony just sort of smiled nervously; she no longer cowered when he got angry.

"Forget about me, did you?"

Fluttershy giggled, absently turning to her flowers and pouring a clear stream of water into the soft dirt. "Oh no, not at all; I thought I'd come out here early to tend to my flowers and animals, since I'd be helping you the rest of the day."

She looked him up and down, beaming with pride, her heart swelling. She had feared he wouldn't ever be able to move again, and now he was flying! "Oh, look at you! You're flying again!" Gently, she grabbed and happily wiggled a blue wing.

"Flying, yes, at least that I can do," Discord muttered, glaring at his feet in contempt. "But I still can't put too much weight down on my feet, so I still can't walk." He then smirked, breezily floating upwards. "Thank Equestria for magic." To his chagrin, he noticed the pegasus had turned her head away. It was hard to keep Fluttershy's attention when she was busy caring for nature.

The pony dipped her honey colored head and rose mane, taking in a deep heavenly inhale of her carnations. "Carnations are my favorite flowers, and these have come along nicely. What do you think, Discord?"

The spirit only gave a childish pout, crossing his arms and leering down at the delicate little flower. "It would look better as a lollipop." A mischievous spark alighted those ruby eyes.

"Oh, come on, Discord, for once just try and see the beauty in nature before you decide to destroy it." But her sentence fell on deaf ears, and the pony watched in annoyance as her beautiful little carnation became a carnival lollipop. Quite delectable looking. The pegasus only sighed and turned to the gleeful draconequus. "At least it's pretty in the garden.."

Discord sniggered, but it trailed off quickly as the meaning to Fluttershy's previous words ran through his head. She was right: he couldn't remember the last time he had actually looked at nature. Though he often admired Equestria's natural beauty, it never looked right to him unless it had some sort of unbalance to it. Such as fluffy white clouds turning pink and pouring chocolate rain.

"Oh come now," he grinned, getting back on track. "You must admit that it's much more pretty and-" he whisked the lollipop out of the ground, running his snake like tongue over it's slick surface. "-much more tasty!"

The pony sighed, tentatively taking the lollipop flower back and tucking it back into the soil. Well, it did look pretty cute with all of the other flowers, and – albeit – tasty looking too.

"Well, alright...just one flower isn't too bad." Fluttershy noticed the playful smirk on his face as he slowly slunk away from her through the air. Feeling a tad uneasy, she tried not to think about it as she sprinkled some fertilizer into the soil. Still, from the corner of an eye she could see his twisted shape – then the talon reaching out as it slowly went to poke a carnation.

"Oh no!" Fluttershy reeled up on her hind legs, galloping towards the snickering draconequus, crying out in shock as a row of her beautiful carnations were turned into an assortment of lollipops. "_Discord!_"

Discord gleefully curled his tail out of her reach, laughing and smirking down at the frantic pony. "Oh come now, you really think I take orders from a little pony? I abide by my own rules!" There was an element of playfulness in his tone; a sense he was toying with the pegasus.

"Heey!" Fluttershy squealed, watching as a few of her other carnations suddenly became dripping creamsicles. "Discord, my garden! Come on – stop it!"

Only snickering to himself, the spirit continued on with his work, only stopping long enough to turn one of her flowers into some sort of carnival treat, and then repeated the process over with another part of her garden; even turning her bushes into cotton candy, and the berries into gumballs!

Fluttershy panted, finally whipping out her wings and taking off after him. Oh, he was quick, zipping and zagging everywhere; up and down, and in circles to try and confuse her. Unfortunately for him, Fluttershy had practice with tricky fliers do to her many races and games of tag with Rainbow Dash in Cloudsdale. She caught up fast, and promptly latched herself onto the end of his tail.

`Discord yelped at the sudden weight, snapping his head down to look at the gleeful and _smirking _little pegasus firmly wrapped around his tail. Glowering, he tried to shake her off and continue his flower make over, but the pegasus started to scale up his tail.

"Oh, I'll save my flowers if it is the last thing I do..!" Fluttershy panted, climbing further up the soft pink spikes.

The draconequus squirmed and wriggled in the air; her hooves tickled as they clung to his stomach. He flicked his tail desperately, an involuntary snicker bursting out. "Let go! Th-that tickles!" he growled, and the little pegasus drew back her hooves instantly.

"Oh, I'm very sorry..." Then, a devious smirk more fitting on Rainbow Dash spread over her face. "_Ohhhhhh_, does it?" Green eyes sparkling with playfulness, the pegasus – still keeping her back hooves wrapped around Discord's tail – dug her hooves gently into the furry belly. Giggles fizzed out when Discord gave a squeal that sounded like it belonged to a filly.

"No-!" He was really shaking his tail now, completely forgetting about his quest to 'edible-tize' all of the flowers. Fluttershy just laughed with the additive fun of the rocking tail. "You miscreant foal; I'll turn you into a rocking horse!" he threatened emptily. Though both he and Fluttershy knew he wouldn't hurt her.

"No, I don't think you will," Fluttershy laughed, her hooves migrating up his sides and back to his stomach. "You can barely stay airborne."

The laughter was no longer repressed as Discord finally lost his concentration on flying; all thoughts consumed by the torturous and gentle tickling. He tumbled to the ground, and Fluttershy still clung to his stomach, somersaulted with him.

When the rolling finally ceased, Fluttershy was standing on his stomach, gently pushing him into the grass so he couldn't move. She continued the playful assault; her tickling pokes and scribbles gentle and slow, but it still sent the draconequus into near hysterical laughter.

The garden struggle lasted for several minutes, until Fluttershy emerged triumphant, nibbling on a cotton candy stick that Discord had summoned as a last minute peace offering. The pegasus sat on the spirit's belly, drinking in her moment while Dicord laid there in the grass, voice nearly gone from his laughter.

"The clouds are beautiful today," Fluttershy mused, quite giddy for someone who's flora had all been turned into candy. (Well, how many ponies could say they had just forced the spirit of chaos himself mercilessly into the grass? In fact, who thought Fluttershy could ever say it?)

Discord was still nursing his poor voice as he gazed at the disfigured fluff the pegasus was pointing to. "Oh, for Equestria's sake – haven't you ever seen true cloud creations, my dear?" With a shaking talon, he snapped his fingers, and the cloud turned into a giant butterfly – a butterfly that was actually _flapping _through the air.

Fluttershy smiled at the soft misty form, and watched as he made two other baby ones appear. "Oh, those are lovely; you're right. I do love the natural beauty of the clouds too though.."

"Bleh; you like all the natural beauty of things. Why can't you like a little chaos?"

At that, Fluttershy had to smirk. "I would really like to ask you the same thing about natural beauty."

Discord casually shrugged, arms tucked nonchalantly behind his back. "It's just fine...it's just _boring._" He made a 'gag me' face. "Boring and too normal! Too much normality makes me shudder. Celestia has become so boring; she used to be so exciting and unpredictable when we were younger."

Fluttershy laughed. "Celestia isn't boring..she just – well, she likes having some order in her land."

"Order can't exist without some unbalance and chaos."

Fluttershy blinked, stunned. That was actually a valid point. It brought up another question – the one they had been trying desperately to avoid. "What's going to happen after this? "Are...you going to go back in stone?"

The smile had completely fallen from Discord's face, replaced with a grim faced and hazed over sadness. "...I don't know."

The pegasus hesitated; she couldn't imagine the psychological torture one had to go through being paralyzed in a statue for thousands of years, not able to speak or move or blink, or sleep. It was like death. No, it was worse than death. One some level, the pegasus was actually wondering how Celestia had the heart to do such a thing to him.

"...Discord? What's it...like being encased in stone? What was it like..turning into stone?" If she really had to endure the pain of losing him, she just needed to know the process didn't hurt. His words did not comfort her:

"It's indescribable; the pain is unimaginable. It feels as if every muscle in your body is twisting into knots and ripping apart, and you can only watch in horror as you're paralyzed and your body grows colder.

What ever condition you're in when you go into stone, you remain when you come out of it. When I was first imprisoned, I was hungry...and I really had to go to the bathroom. Needless to say, the first thing I did when I broke free was run to the nearest courtyard bathroom." He quirked a smirk, attempting to coax a smile from Fluttershy, but the pony was positively heartbroken.

"It's really that bad?" Fluttershy whispered, eyes brimming with tears.

Discord sighed, trying to keep from snapping. He really hated talking about his punishment; it was a terrible experience that he never wanted to go through again. ...And it was one he probably would.

"Yes, Fluttershy, it's that bad. I wouldn't wish it on any pony."

A thought came to the pegasus's head: "Not even Celestia?"

"..." That mischievous sparkle came back to those red eyes. "No, I'd just send Celestia to the moon."

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Fluttershy quietly trotted over the stretching hills of Canterlot, scarcely remembering how tedious the walk was. Honestly, even flying it would be hard on her wings. She wasn't as good of a flier as Rainbow Dash. Doubtlessly, Rainbow Dash would have possibly conked out mid way through the journey.

A pastel glow was over taking the hills, bathing them in a rainbow hue; the golden sun becoming a sunset orange as it started to dip over the horizon. The moon was already slipping up from behind the palace, and distant stars dotted the twilight sky.

Fluttershy had to force herself to keep from collapsing as she finally reached towards the palace doors with a shaking hoof.

"Halt!" Fluttershy squealed as a lance almost came down on the tip of her hoof, and she cowered against the porcelain tiles.

"State thy name!"

Fluttershy's words came tumbling out. "I-Idunno!"

"I repeat," the guard boomed, stamping a hoof, "state thy name!" The stone look was mixed with confusion when the little pegasus started to cry.

"I-I don't have a name; I'll just go home..." She started to trot away, then it hit her. What was she doing? If she ran away now, then there would be no hope in saving Discord from his fate. After all these weeks of living with the spirit of disharmony, she should fear nothing! Standing up to a guard was a start.

"My-my name is Fluttershy." The pegasus stood boldly, proudly, puffing out her chest. "Fluttershy!"

Both guards looked at each other, awestruck. "Fluttershy? The Element Of Kindness? Helped bring Equestria's evil spirit to justice and defeat Nightmare Moon?"

The pegasus felt her chest tighten in anger and her eyes prickle at their little name for Discord. None the less, she shook it off; they didn't know him like she did.

"Yes. Th-that Fluttershy."

"Does thou wish to have an audience with the princess?"

"Ye-yes, please. Is she available? Can I come in?"

The guard nodded, pulling open the large doors. Fluttershy forgot just how..spacious the palace was. It was pretty intimidating; the corridors seemed to stretch forever. She had been here before, but most of her attention had been directed to Celestia as she told them all the story of Discord. The spirit she was so sure was a vicious and heartless beast. Had this only been a month ago?

"Right in there." The guard's voice startled her out of her thoughts. "Through that door. We are sure the princess will be thrilled to see thou; she speakeths of her favorite royal subjects often."

"Oh, well, that's wonderful to he-" Fluttershy turned, and they were gone. She was suddenly alone at the entrance to the throne room. Intimidated, the pegasus peered up, and discovered the door was so tall that she couldn't even see the top from where she was standing. Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the throne room doors. There was no turning back now.

Celestia's eyes had been scanning over a few scrolls when she heard the doors swing open and shut. The alicorn half expected it was her sister that had just trotted in, but her purple eyes were met with those green ones, burning with passion.

"Oh my, Fluttershy!" She smiled. "What a pleasant surprise." Fluttershy didn't respond, and the princess watched as she silently and nonchalantly strode towards the throne. "Dear? Is something wrong?"

Fluttershy took a deep breath, determination set on her face. "Princess, I need to speak with you."

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_(All I will say issss...remember the part with the carnations._

_Remember it. It is important._

_(Also..the tickle fight that you all knew was coming was mostly written as a tension relief while I was watching The Exorcist. XDD)_

_And please let me know of any spelling or grammatical errors._

_All characters © Lauren Faust)_


	5. Chapter 5

The princess stared, honestly – for just a moment – she wondered who this fierce and courageous looking pony was. Surely this wasn't the quivering, timid, little filly that always backed away and bowed shyly when she came near. Never had the princess seen the pegasus so confident looking. Discord really did know how to alter and manipulate personalities, even when he caused it unintentionally.

"Fluttershy, dear!" Celestia's tone had dipped slightly and had lost its sense of happiness. She knew why the pony was here. "What brings you to Canterlot Palace? I, well, I haven't ever seen you here unless the others were with you." It seemed she was trying to stall the impending question, though, that was more relieving to Fluttershy since the pony hadn't a clue how she'd go about asking this.

"I-umm, well, I figure..I should come see you more?" she tried pathetically. Obviously Celestia knew that wasn't the reason, but it seemed Fluttershy was just as uncomfortable with this as she was.

Still, the princess nodded, stepping down from her throne and strutting over to the slightly intimidated pegasus. The alicorn's purple eyes met the frightened and quivering little blue irises, and right away the princess could tell that the poor pony was struggling to finally tell her what she had come for.

"I know why you're here, my little pony." No use beating around the bush.

"You do?" Fluttershy squeaked, her voice high pitched, so high pitched, in fact, that the princess grimaced over towards the servant at the door and quietly requested a cup of tea.

"I'm pretty sure I do," Celestia said, calmly striding beside the pony. Fluttershy, seeing that she was slowly moving down the hall, strolled quietly along with her.

They remained that way for several minutes, only watching the stained glass windows as they walked by. The halls were dimmer now, and quiet. Dim pink sun rays leaked through the glass, bathing the ponies in a sunset hue as they walked by.

Fluttershy noted the crystal patterns on the windows: stained glass. The sunlight made it seem pinker, but she could still see the pictures and the story they were trying to portray quite easily. She looked up at the polygonal figure of Nightmare Moon engulfed in the rainbow sphere of the Elements; the proud six ponies below her, magic shooting from their necklaces.

Further down, she could see Discord, and she remembered this was how she first saw him: polygonal, two dimensional and in glass, darting around the windows as he chortled and teased them in riddles. When the pegasus looked at his body- also enveloped in a light - her heart constricted at remembering he had returned to stone. In that second, Fluttershy yearned to go home and see the draconequus just so she could be reassured he was still with her.

They came upon the final picture, and Fluttershy's heart sank when she gazed up at it. It was Discord when he ruled Equestria; the metaphorical marionette strings attached to the miserable ponies below him that were forced to bow to him, bend to his every will. Fluttershy's soft blue eyes teared when she looked into the spirit's dark irises.

"Look carefully," Celestia whispered, her head high and regarding the stained glass window with bitterness at the memory. "Remind yourself why you're here and who you're here for."

Those words were all it took to dash all hope in Fluttershy. They were said with such coldness directed to the spirit, hinting there wasn't a chance she'd get her wish.

"I know I..I am asking for a stupid request."

"No." Fluttershy turned to Celestia in confusion. "You aren't asking for a stupid request, dear. It is only your nature to love every living creature and to want the best for them. You just need to know boundaries, who is worth protecting."

"But he is," Fluttershy whispered hoarsely. "He is worth protecting." Swallowing hard, she turned to the grim faced Celestia. "Your highness, nobody deserves such a fate. Do you know...how painful being turned to stone is? It is indescribable."

She desperately swallowed the sobs when she remembered the badly disguised sadness in his face when he told her. "I-it can not happen again." The butter colored pony blinked in confusion as her head was firmly nudged up, and she realized Celestia had nudged her face comfortingly under her chin.

"Walk with me." Fluttershy quickly hurried to the princess's side as they made their way through the great gateway towards the palace garden.

The Canterlot palace garden was simply incomprehensible; it was so beautiful, so wide spread. Any other night, the little pegasus would have squeaked in delight and would have pranced into the gardens to find some animals to befriend. Though, giving the experience at the Gala, she'd probably just back off.

Tonight however, both the ponies' eyes were immediately drawn to the stars. It was an instant relaxer; the ponies forgetting all the troubles, conflicts, pain, for just a brief moment. They settled down in the grass, smiling as they watched a star shoot throughout the night time sky. It was so peaceful; it'd be wonderful to just sit here forever and not have to think about the conversation that brought them here.

Yet, Fluttershy knew that sadly, she needed to focus on the task at hand. "Last night we were at the windows..and..we looked at the stars." Well, she knew that probably wasn't anything out of the ordinary; everyone looked at stars.

"I mean..we both were watching them, but I made him promise not to do anything to ruin the evening." She giggled a little. "A difficult task for him, that's for sure..." She studied the princess's reaction carefully, but Celestia looked unmoved from her already definite decision.

"A-and this morning he was in the garden for the first time. He turned all my carnations into lollipops."

This at least invoked a sigh from the princess. "I'm afraid that's Discord. He'll do whatever he wants to..well, whatever he wants, I suppose." She shook her head, and then sadly looked down at the little pegasus. "That is why the decision must stand." The princess was sure her heart was breaking when she heard Fluttershy's pathetic little sobs.

"Oh, please princess!" Fluttershy's voice muddled with a heart broken sob, the tears streaming down her muzzle and softly plopping into the dark grass. "Please, there must be another way!" Desperately, she stood up in front of Celestia, blocking the princess's view from the sky and forcing her to look at her. "You know him – you know him more than I do, so you've-so you've t..told me. You said you've known him since you and Princess Luna were fillies?"

Celestia didn't respond.

"Then...were you friends?"

The pastel, rainbow mane dipped quietly, flowing over the grass and subtly moving to the wind.

"You were friends, weren't you?" Fluttershy hated to pry, but she just needed to get some answers. Celestia was the only one that could give them. Disheartened, the pegasus only watched as Celestia's head lowered further. Her eyes closed, seeming lost in a sudden torrent of memories.

"And yet," the princess finally sighed, "he showed no signs of remorse. None. All the ponies he tried to ruin, manipulate; their home he tried to corrupt, and none of that mattered to him if he could find entertainment in his actions. When he freed himself, he showed no signs of wanting to make up for his actions." She stared deeply into Fluttershy's eyes. "Has that changed?"

The yellow pegasus firmly shut her mouth, losing composure at Celestia's honest question, that she was terrified to answer.

No. He hadn't changed. In a small sense, he had and she rather hoped he had. He cared for her – from what she could see anyways – and he hadn't tried to hurt her in any way, other than the occasional-quite often-harmless little pranks and teasing. In a few instances, he had shielded her from certain dangers: dreams, and her book shelf that nearly crushed her.

Yes, he was capable of caring for an individual, but when it really came down to it, had he changed? Did he have any remorse? Did he regret his actions?

No, he didn't. He took pride in thrusting Equestria into a land of chaos and watching the decline of harmony and all the emotional pain he caused was merely amusing to him. He enjoyed manipulating others, tainting their minds with his poison, and all he seemed eager for was to get back on his feet and do it all again.

Fluttershy had very little defense to work with her statements.

"I...he cares about me," she stammered pathetically.

Celestia looked down at her, sympathetically, eyes full of doubt and deep sadness. "Does he? Or are you merely a pawn in his game?" The alicorn was sick with the pain she was causing the pegasus. She hated that she was only pushing Fluttershy further into the pit of despair, dashing all her hopes..but it was for the pony's own good.

"Fluttershy, I don't do this to be mean," Celestia whispered, lifting the disconsolate pony's chin with her hoof. "Please understand, my dear. I do this for the sake of the kingdom." She blinked when the trembling little ball of butter clutched desperately to the hoof and cried into it.

"But the stone – it is too horrible! He has been fine living with me! Why can't..why can't his punishment be to..stay with me, confined in the cottage? It'd be perfect," she sniffled; "He's always telling me how annoying I am-! It is the perfect punishment, princess! To-to have to stay with...with the weak and spineless little filly – as he calls me – the rest of-of his life!"

The princess watched on, her concern becoming greater, quickly fearing for the little pony's sanity. What had Discord done to her? She knew he had done something, and this time it wasn't intentional. For whatever reason, it seemed the pony just couldn't live without him. She couldn't see him turned to stone again.

And – honestly – Celestia despised the idea herself. Even in the beginning, it killed the alicorn to bestow such a harsh punishment on him. When it came down to it, it killed her to have to punish him at all. It wasn't just that the princess wanted to love all creatures in her kingdom, but Fluttershy knew nothing about them, what really happened in their childhood. She had cried that night in her room when she imprisoned him.

Of course, he wasn't able to see that. Perhaps if he did, maybe Equestria wouldn't still have this problem.

_No,_ she bitterly assured herself, _he was already too far gone to be saved._

Though really, what was turning him into another garden ornament going to do? He was right; the seal was still incredibly weak, especially with Fluttershy's emotions in such peril. He'd probably only have to tap the stone to break it this time. She couldn't imprison him again. But she couldn't let him loose either.

"I...I still need time to think," Celestia forced out, strongly, holding back the frustrated tears threatening to spill through her white fur. "I don't know what to do; I only want to make the right decision." She shut her eyes, not even talking to Fluttershy anymore. "But either way I will hurt someone with whatever I decide."

There would be no more information prying tonight, and Fluttershy knew it was just a waste to come here. Oh well, at least Celestia's reluctance brought a pathetic amount of comfort. She had been foolish to think this was an overnight decision.

"I'll send somepony to guide you home," the princess said softly, her words an indication that the discussion was over. "Please be careful on your way home. If you would like, you may stay overnight at the palace. I'm sure we can find a room for you."

"No, th-thank you." The pegasus's soft little voice wavered with tears, making it harder than usual to understand what she was saying. She felt so empty and lost. So scared and broken. "I can find my way." The pegasus dismissed the customary formal good-bye; she couldn't talk to the princess anymore.

She merely trotted silently towards the doors of the palace, exiting without a parting word and leaving Celestia in the company of her memories and the stars above.

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In the midst of the night, the quiet garden was now void of life, save for the the celestial princess – the only white being surrounded by the sea of flowers, and the orchards above.

Celestia hadn't moved at all. She had been sitting there in the same, now imprinted patch of grass, barely having shifted into another position. Her eyes never having left the stars, drawn to a particular one: the same luminous star she recalled that had always captivated her and Discord's attention when they were younger.

There was a dim flash of light, and the princess heard the gentle flapping of his wings as his body hovered inches away from her own.

"Hm...I see the star is out tonight." It pulled – more so yanked – on a heart string, for Celestia was sure he had forgotten everything about their childhood, especially a detail as little as their favorite star.

Yet, she forced the emotion out of her voice. "I didn't think I gave you enough magic to teleport."

Discord chortled, laying on an invisible back support, resting his chin in his paw and giving her an intimidating smirk.

"Oh, you didn't; I had to ration what meager amounts of my magic that Princess Stingy here was 'kind' enough to return to me." He held his talon to his face, eyes closed dramatically. "I feel my powers disappearing! I have used it all!"

"Stop pulling punches; you're getting nothing from me."

He smirked, dropping his talon and giving a sad little shrug. "It was worth a shot." He laid back, grinning as the princess grimaced and shook her snout in annoyance as Discord's beard tickled her nose.

"Oh but really, I've managed quite fine with the little power I have." Of course, he didn't want to give the alicorn the wrong idea. "Not that I don't miss my full power, mind you! The full power you will be returning to me, yes?" He snaked his neck towards Celestia.

The princess cringed inwardly from the hot breath, that felt as if it could singe every hair on her body, but she knew he was only trying to gain a rise from her, so she kept her mouth shut tightly.

At first Discord looked deeply annoyed when he didn't chagrin the calm princess. Then, he smirked, cradling his head in his talon and laying down in the air beside her. "I'm to be given the silent treatment, am I?"

"Shut up."

"Gasp; it can _speak!_" He hopped back, laughing as the red faced alicorn stomped her hoof at him, storming forwards in the wet grass just a few steps.

"Why should I return your power?" Celestia shouted, voice ringing with authority and harshness. "So you can go back to trying to throw me off the throne? Destroy my land? Harm my subjects?"

"Oh, ponies and their exaggerations.. When did I ever 'harm' your subjects? Oh sure, I turned their land topsy-turvy, but goodness, Tia – you're making me sound worse than Nightmare Moon!" He watched the hurt fill the princess's face; it was clear she hated any mention of the diabolical mare.

Instead, the princess's mind suddenly drifted to Fluttershy. That tear stained butter colored face; her bawling and wailing, pleading anything if it meant Discord would be free.

"And what of Fluttershy?" Celestia demanded, and Discord's head shot up. An odd look of uncertainty always crossed his face whenever she was mentioned. "That pony gave you another chance at life, and so did I! Did you not learn anything?"

Discord snorted and rolled his eyes. "Learn what? What are you both expecting of me? For me to develop a heart as pure and pathetically soft as hers is? To regret and make up for my actions? Not every terrible experiences will cause a change of heart, you know. I wish you would both get that through your thick heads."'

The princess growled. "The one pony that offers you her kindness, to help you – to save your life – and what do you repay her with?"

"Mmm...I redecorated her house, turned her boring old flowers into candy and – oh yes – I turned her bunny into a giant cotton swab earlier." He snickered. "She still hasn't noticed.."

Celestia was getting angrier and angrier by the minute. She remembered why she hated to talk to him: it was positively _stressful._"She trusted you, and she opened her heart to you. She wanted to help you and she's tried to!"

"And _that,_" Discord stated, face grim, "is precisely what worries me." His words caught Celestia off guard; perhaps Fluttershy was right, and – even if he hadn't changed – he was still concerned for her. It could be a start, at least.

"She is the Element Of Kindness," Discord continued; "She will trust any pony and just expects her love and caring will ultimately melt the ice on the foe's heart; for them to hug her in tears and thank her for 'turning them to good'. And, oh what – does she really think she would have been able to get away with that with Nightmare Moon? Do _you?_"

Celestia bowed her head quietly, listening and taking in every word. He was speaking the truth.

"You know as well as I do, Celestia, that Nightmare Moon would have killed her in a heart beat. Nightmare Moon was ready to kill _you._If in that state, Luna was prepared to kill her own flesh and blood, there is no way that she'd show mercy to a measly little wimp like Fluttershy." He slithered closer to the princess, until he was mere inches away from her face.

"Not every foe will give what's behind her mask of fear a chance. One day, what makes her who she is will be what will kill her."

Celestia knew he was right, and she hated it. Never had the princess met such a push over, and it was dangerous how little of a back bone the timid pegasus possessed. Not only did she just let anypony walk all over her, but her kindness and trust in every living creature could be – as he stated – potentially deadly.

"On the subject of Fluttershy, she truly cares for you." The alicorn was chagrined when he scoffed, but she still continued. "...She loves you."

That got his attention; he didn't turn to her, for fear of revealing the shock on his face, but Celestia could still see the way his body did a subtle double take. To further hide his feelings, the spirit scowled coldly.

"Commendable try, Tia, but I know she doesn't." He kept his voice merely curious and monotone. "Did she say so?" He glanced over to the alicorn with the corner of a hard, mismatched, ruby eye.

Celestia could tell that behind those ice cold eyes and stolid face, her words had affected him. He was trying to avert his eyes, but they'd peek back every so often, curious of what else she might tell him.

"She loves you," the princess continued. "She'll do anything if it means your freedom. She dragged herself all the way here just so she could see if she could talk me into letting you free. She was willing to accept any consequences for someone that doesn't even appreciate what she has done for him." Celestia was pleased to note that there words effectively shut Discord up. Still, his silence wasn't getting them anywhere either.

"So, is the feeling mutual?"

The draconequus floated there, staring off to space (literally) for several minutes. Celestia was about to repeat the question, but Discord had already fabricated something that was at least an attempt to indicate he hadn't lost too much iota of composure at the princess's words.

"I don't know - _is_ it mutual?"

"Discord. Cease the rhetoric. Just give me a straight answer, please."

His eyes shone with enjoyment. "This is a straight answer." He laughed again as Celestia lost her patience for the umpteenth time and slammed her hoof down.

"You are really digging yourself into the deepest of holes," Celsetia seethed, fiercely gripping the spirit's tail and yanking him to eye level. Like Fluttershy, she rarely lost her temper, but Discord was enough to push the calmest of ponies over the edge.

Discord blinked as he was yanked to the princess's face, smirking at her stern mother-scolding-glare. "Out of the pan and into the fire, so the saying goes~" He mimicked the movements and sounds of a fire igniting. "Fssh!"

Celestia barely needed to yank on that tail of his to get his eyes to nearly squash against hers. In fact, they did. The princess winced, her eyes stinging as they were rubbed raw by his, but at least she had his attention.

"Discord, enough." Her voice wasn't loud; she didn't yell, nor did she whisper. However, it was sharp, indicating he better take her seriously. "Stop the riddles and just give me your honest opinion here. What do you feel about all this? This entire situation?"

But, oh, did she really think he'd indulge her? "My honest feelings? My honest and true feelings at this very moment? I feel you are annoying me. Now, is my session over, oh royal interrogator of Equestria?"

Celestia's entire frame shook with fury, and she considered using her own magic to slam the infuriating spirit into the tree – repetitively. One would think that being thrown into the concrete enough times to shatter his bones would actually knock a smidgen of sense into him. No such luck.

"You're infuriating," she began calmly.

"Why thank you for noticing."

"Why won't you do anything to help your cause?"

Discord smiled thinly, laying in the air and mockingly twirling Celestia's little curls with his finger. He was amused when she tensed. To him this was just another way to fluster and confuse her, but to Celestia it was much different.

The fact was she now despised him touching her. It caused her entire body to swell with pain, from her head to her hooves. The touch wasn't even sincere, only mocking and cruel. He hadn't genuinely touched her or even looked at her with sincerity for ages – for 'eons' as he'd call it. Every look; every word; every touch; all done with such coldness and hostility.

The princess wasn't sure where this completely irrelevant question came from, but perhaps she was only trying to hang onto any hint that there was a sliver of light in him: "Discord, when you first broke out of stone.." She sighed and had to add in an annoyed tone, "the first time, did you really mean what you said to me? One of the first things you said to me? Did you really mean it..when you said you missed me?"

Again, he was caught off guard, but forced the look of confusion away, and in fact, averted his eyes to keep from giving his true emotions away. Emotions he once again – as always – disguised with a cool smirk.

"Why such weird, off topic questions out of the blue, Tia? It isn't like you."

The princess's heart ached and she blinked back the yearning tears. That very name just made her hurt everywhere. "And that? Do you really mean that?"

"Do I really mean what? It's a nickname." He began moving back in the air when Celestia stepped towards him again. By this point Discord knew he had pushed the alicorn to her breaking point, and therefore he awaited the stinging slap across his nose, or perhaps she'd forcibly hurl him into the pond. He didn't expect what happened next.

Celestia stopped mere inches away from his face. She stared deeply and pleadingly into his crimson eyes; her own eyes filled with anguish and longing. She didn't hit him, nor did she try throwing him, and she didn't even yell; she merely whispered.

"Discord...please answer my question. Is what you said to me in the palace true?"

The daunting smirk faded and his face was serious, pondering. There was no avoiding the question now. Her eyes were on him, waiting. He slithered through the air, circling her pale white body, before finally, briefly, darting right in front of her face.

"Yes."

Silence fell over the hushed royal garden. There was no sound now. No talking, no crickets chirping, and not even the sound of gentle splashing in the pond near them. Not even the wind. It seemed as if the two unmoving creatures were the only ones in the world.

Celestia's body slowly gave way as she collapsed, inhaling the quiet, anguished sobs; the crystal like tears falling from her violet eyes as he watched on disapprovingly, before rolling his eyes in annoyance.

"Oh _really_, Celestia," the spirit drawled, hanging over a cotton candy cloud, "I thought little Lulu was supposed to be the ultra sensitive one." The tears had stopped, but the ivory mare's head was directed away from him, towards the stars and avoiding his prying eyes.

The draconequus snickered at how unbelievably emotional Celestia was getting. It definitely wasn't like the stolid, grim and serious little princess. "I didn't think you still cared enough about me to cry. Well, before you fly into an emotional tirade and – gag – actually do something as grossly saccharine as to perhaps hug me, let me clarify something." He held her chin, smiling to himself when that managed to intimidate her.

"I don't know what it is I missed, given my burning rage and desire to get revenge, and perhaps maybe go as far as hate..." He stopped, and it wasn't because of the despairing look on the princess's face.

_Hate..._ No. Argh, Equestria – no. He wanted to - _so badly_- hate her, he wanted to despise her, be able to do whatever he wanted to induce some sort of suffering whether it be emotional or physical from her, but he...couldn't. Maybe it was the trials and tribulations both had gone through together when they were kids, maybe it was because – no matter how dark and guarded his was – they would always be connected by the heart. For whatever reason...he couldn't hate her.

And he _hated_ that.

Clearing his throat, he tried to continue. "Perhaps what I missed was toying with you, perhaps I merely wanted to see you to exact some sort of brutal revenge – maybe turn you into a giant gummy bear and shove you in a manticore's den." He snickered as the princess closed her eyes and shuddered.

"Maybe I just wanted some form of company." He caught her questioning look and scoffed. "Oh – what? Oh sure, I'm the spirit of all things 'evil' – in you ridiculous ponies' eyes – but I do still have sanity, and it can be endangered having nopony else to talk to, rant to, other than my own _mind_ for a thousand years," he said grumpily. "Not to mention go a little _stir crazy._"

Celestia shook her mane and stood indignantly, shrugging off the tears and sadness, and forcing the authority back into her voice. "You only got what you deserved."

"Did I?" he demanded, voice taking on a growling, grating, harshness. "Did I really? Did a little chaotic sprinkles here and there truly call for full body petrification until the end of time? Did a few innocent pranks like causing it to rain chocolate and 'fertilizing' the apples call for a repeat of that punishment?" His eyes narrowed, smouldering fire. "Did merely playing a harmless little game of peek-a-boo with your teacher's pet justify breaking _every bone in my body?_"

Increasingly, he had snaked towards the alicorn, who had backed away slightly with a growl of her own and a threatening scrape of her hoof.

"Did a little bit of sister rebellion really call for a thousand year banishment to the moon? To the point that your poor sister returns a misunderstood, frightened mess that has no idea how to face the world?"

The blast of fire from the alicorn's horn would have been a fatal impact if he hadn't curled in his body at the last second, hissing as the heat from the magic embers singed the tip of his toes. Narrowing his eyes at her, Discord pinned her back with magic, although he could already tell that the mare was regretting thoughtlessly attacking him.

"None of this is _my_ fault, Celestia," Discord seethed, "so don't try pinning it all on _me._ You claimed you had no idea that the elements would stone me, nor did you think they would banish Luna for a thousand years, and yet you still used them. Even when you claimed you felt 'guilty' for the severity of my sentence and your sister's, you still had the audacity to say it was _justified._You're only contradicting what you said before."

He released the magic hold on the alicorn, watching her limp unsteadily to her feet. "You knew the Elements' power couldn't be controlled and yet you still used them."

The alicorn's entire frame shook with her grief and she numbly shut her eyes; her majestic mane falling to the grass and flowing over the hill. "I was...I was hoping the Elements would change you back to the way you used to be -to the little spirit we loved - before you betrayed my family."

He snorted. "And yet you still took the chance of them possibly killing me, not to mention your little sister."

Yet..he was caught off guard. He had been certain the day he was confronted with the fire in his once best friend's eyes that all she cared about was getting rid of him. Part of him thought his sentence in stone occurred by her channeling that desire into the Elements – to urge them to imprison him or kill him.

But...she just wanted things back to the way they were, when they were kids?

Both the multi beast and the alicorn had their backs turned to each other, like two angry siblings in a heated spat. Discord was more annoyed, while Celestia was darn well near tears once more.

Ugh, this was _not_ how tonight was supposed to commence. Well – actually, Discord had no idea how he _did_ want things to go. He didn't want to fight, he didn't want to spend time with her – it was just so _boring_ alone in Fluttershy's cottage, with only the company of her stupid white fur ball (that was always staring creepily at him for some odd reason), and he really just wanted some fresh air as well. Plus, watching Celestia could be ever so amusing. Well, it usually was; he just hardly expected the huge gush of emotions that poured from the alicorn, nor did he expect that magic blast. Oh Equestria, that had hurt! He'd need to withstand some more of Fluttershy's stinging medicine the moment she saw it.

_Perhaps if I can manage to get under the blankets to hide it well enough.._

The draconequus straightened himself, favoring a foot and spreading his wings. "Well, I do believe it's time for our little play date to draw to a close," he began icily; "It's FAR past your bedtime, my dear, and I do believe it's little Luna that takes the night shift."

Celestia only scraped her hoof, narrowing her wet, gleaming eyes as a response.

"So then when you're ready to _apologize _to me, I'll be waiting in my humble little bed in Pony-Pied-Piper's cottage with ice on my poor burned footsies." He was gone in a bright, white flash, leaving no one there in the gardens to witness the celestial princess collapse into the grass.

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Fluttershy's aching hooves made every step excruciatingly painful; the worst part being that her feeble little wings were stubbornly, tiredly snapped shut against the side of her flanks, having flown more than they could comfortably mete out.

It didn't help matters when she stepped into her cottage on a floor that had been transformed into spongy cheese, and closed a door that had been turned into toast. The pegasus watched as the door crumbled into crusty bread crumbs as she shut it.

"I renovated~" Discord singsonged cheerfully, laying on his tootsie roll bed and chewing on the headrest.

"So I see," Fluttershy mumbled tiredly, gazing over at her kitchen counter, that was now a giant, rectangular brownie. "Discord, please don't eat your bed." At her request, the spirit surprisingly lifted his fangs from where they were burrowed in the soft chocolate. Fluttershy caught sight of his feet shifting from under the blankets, and she noted the burn to one of them.

"How did you burn your feet?"

"Oh," Discord sighed, watching as the pegasus hurriedly took out her medical kit. "I had a little thing with Miss Kill – JOY!" His last word went up in a howl of pain as the medicine poured into his burn and seared it with a kiss of fire.

Fluttershy sighed, knowing who the 'Little Miss Killjoy' was without the draconequus even clarifying. "I thought I told you to stay here."

"You did," the spirit smirked into his paw, wincing now and then as the medicine did its work. He pulled something out from his bed and started twirling it through the air like a sword. It was a rather large...cotton swab?

Fluttershy was almost afraid to ask it: "Where did you get the cotton swab?" She ducked as he sliced it in the air with a loud 'hi-yaa!', and then ran a feather light talon over its handle.

"Oh, I just crafted it from a few materials lying around that I didn't think you needed anymore~"

Something compelled the little pegasus to look over to Angel's bed, where she expected to see the sweet little form curled up and sleeping peacefully, since at this time of night he'd long since have gone to sleep. Instead, the small basket was empty, and it was no mystery when the pegasus snapped her head back to the mischievous spirit, who was eying the cotton swab in his paw with a possessive look.

"Oh my word! Angel!" Fluttershy shrieked, hooves flying to her face. Discord merely snickered. Gritting her teeth, the pegasus stomped a hoof, her usual mouse like whisper loud and angry. "_Discord!_"

"Yes?" he giggled, and then shrunk back as Fluttershy leaned towards him, glaring fiercely. Okay, even he had to admit that the wimpy little pegasus's anger could be a _tad _frightening.

"Change him back _now,_" Fluttershy ordered. "This very minute, and I mean it!"

"Oh, come on Flutter Butter." He fluffed the ends of the cotton swab and used it to scratch his back. "You don't think it's just a little funny?"

"No, I do _not_," Fluttershy said angrily, crossing her hooves over her chest and looking at him expectantly. "It's very mean of you, and I want him turned back."

"Yes, because we all know the incarnation of chaos is all about niceness," Discord muttered, but snapped his fingers regardless and watched the frazzled little rabbit stumble into Fluttershy's hooves. "_I_ found it a little funny." The smirk crossed over his twisted face and his snaggle tooth gleamed in the dark.

"Of course you did," Fluttershy sighed, hoisting her freaked out pet onto her back. "I-I need some sleep.. Goodnight, Discord." The butter colored pony trudged tiredly up the stairs, only managing to sigh when she discovered the banisters were candy canes – that Angel happily latched onto.

Snickering at his ploys and flopping down onto the feathery pillow, Discord tucked his scorched foot under the heavy quilts, pushing away the evening's confusion and pain, oblivious to the pegasus above him, and the alicorn in her palace bedroom weeping.

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_(I told you I didn't abandon "Broken Spirit"_

_Ahhh...the lovers' spats are always considerably amusing and fun to write, are they not? So, I'm trying to balance the mixture of pain, anger, conflicting hatred and hidden feelings with Discord and Celestia, and I think it came out well._

_I can just imagine Discord turning Angel into a cotton swab...XD That'd probably be the only time he'd get her MAD._

_With popular demand, it seems that nopony wants this fic to end as short as it's going to, and I've altered the plot, which means it's going to be longer and far far more emotional than I originally intended._

_In upcoming chapters, Twilight and Fluttershy accidentally stumble upon old records of Discord, Celestia, and Luna, and uncover a great, hidden and painful secret of the spirit. Ever seen a Discord cry? Who knows, you might~  
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_(Don't hesitate to let me know of typos, as I'm still loopy from this fever and only checked it over twice.)_


	6. Chapter 6

_He twirled the golden, metallic crown in his paw, smiling at the way it fit so well on his fingertips, and watching it spin and gleam, spin and gleam. Soon it would fit on his head, and his body would fit on the throne; the royal robes would fit over his shoulders, and he would finally fit the title of King._

King Discord; it has such a lovely ring to it.

_He sat back on his throne, body swiveling in bliss of how good and right it felt to him. It felt so wonderful, and everything felt so perfect. So meant to be. It had been so easy to slide that crown off Aegeus's nightstand. Oh – it wasn't his fault! Aegeus should really take better care of his things.._

_The young draconequus sighed as he sat back in the throne, an eagle talon reaching towards a family portrait. He gently ran a paw down the surface, over the picture of Aegeus and Astraia, a mournful look coming to his face._

I'm sorry; I see now I wasn't meant to fit in your family from the very beginning. We're too different; you're all purity and love..

_He swooped over towards the window, looking down to where Luna and Celestia were busy practicing their hooves at magic._

I am only chaos.

_He leaned his furry chin into his lion paw, grazing the windowsill with his talon as he watched the princesses play._

It simply wasn't meant to be. You gave me hints, Aegeus, whether you meant to or not. Even if you didn't mean to make me feel like such a black sheep from the family, it is still the truth. I have kept to the promise I made myself, and I wouldn't ever harm you, your wife, or your daughters.

You had said the throne was not meant for me, that there was no way my twisted body could even fit its shape.

_He chuckled, worming his way comfortably, deeper into the soft throne, running a compassionate hand over its golden arm rests._

I fit it quite nicely, don't you think?

_He reached under the throne, where he had securely tucked away his trusted spellbook under the seat, at the very back of the wall. He smiled grimly, tracing patterns over the embedded title, "Alicorn's Power."_

_He flipped the book open, adrenaline pumping through him as he reached his favorite section, the dark magic section. He ran his pawtips over the words, resting his chin on his talon._

_"You were so naive, Aegeus, Astraia. You've known me since I was a child and you've known what I am capable of. You kept this book out of my reach, assuring me I was not yet ready to learn the magic of an alicorn. You told me it was far too advanced and dangerous for me. You both kept it hidden away.." He chuckled and twirled the crown once more. "You think I don't know where you, silly filly, hid the book, Astraia? I knew you hid it where you always put our birthday presents~"_

_Oh, look at him, talking to..no one. Well, he may as well get used to it. He would be alone soon. Just him and Equestria and chaos. May as well get into practice. He wondered how the couple were fairing. The spell had put them into a painless sleep as it worked away at them. Essentially, they would be unharmed once it finished its work, and they'd simply be unable to stop him._

_It was the perfect plan, nothing could go wrong. He'd figure out how to safely get rid of them afterwards. He didn't like the idea of imprisoning them, so perhaps he'd merely send them to live outside Equestria. Or perhaps leave them in the Castle? There was nothing they could do anyways._

_"Master Discord?" Their old childhood nanny stepped into the room, limbs trembling with age, as did her crackling voice. Her voice was so sad, but Discord had noted it was sad lately anyways._

_"What is it, Honey Dew?" he sighed, voice painfully bored and dripping with venom. "I'm rather busy at the moment."_

_He hadn't turned his head, and thus, hadn't seen the tears trickling down her wrinkled and sagging face. "I-I am afraid I have some bad news."_

_Discord only snickered as he fiddled around with the crown; the grieving mare barely noticing he had it. "Oh, did a servant slip on the honey covered floors? Did one of them-"_

_"The King and Queen are dead."_

_The smile on the draconequus's face didn't even waver in the slightest, and why? He didn't believe her. Honey Dew had been known for her love of playing jokes, although albeit, this one was cruel. Very cruel. "No they aren't."_

_The mare's heart pierced with sympathy as he kept smiling, figuring he was in a state of shock and couldn't comprehend what she had said. "The King and Queen are dead," she choked out, "they were-"_

_"You're lying."_

_Through her tears, the elderly mare managed a stern frown. "I would never lie to you, Master Discord. They are dead. A servant just found them in bed-"_

_"YOU'RE LYING!" Discord screeched, his palms burning with fire, that crashed into a window behind her, leaving only a trail of embers and glass behind. "YOU'RE LYING!" he screamed again, voice heavy with horror and rage, desperate to believe what he was saying._

_Honey Dew ignored the fire behind her as she stepped towards him, taking his face in her hooves, like she did so many times as a child to calm him in a tantrum or a crying fit after a nightmare._

_"Discord," Honey Dew whispered hoarsely, holding her child's face. "Aegeus and Astraia are dead."_

_He whipped his head back fiercely, backing away from her, shaking his head. "No..no..no, they aren't.. They aren't dead..they aren't.." He gripped at his head, shaking it fiercely, his eyes rolling around in his sockets, looking as if he was having a seizure. "They aren't – DEAD! I-I am having a nightmare, or you lo-lost your mind. That wasn't what was..supposed to happen..that wasn't.."_

_Honey Dew's voice took on her nanny tone that she used on the princesses and the spirit when they were children. "Sweetheart, you're not making any-" She was slammed into the wall as the draconequus bolted by her, whipping down the halls through the air, flying blindly, unable to see where he was going in the pitch black halls and in his mindset._

_He reached the room, and everything looked as it should be. Their giant bed was as it should be, sheets tucked in, over the mattress. Trinkets and jewelery were scattered among the dressers, and their robes were hung up, above their shoes. Everything was silent, and Astraia's last moon was high in the sky, beaming through the windows on their deathly pale faces._

_His knees buckled as he fell to them, staring. They were just laying there; their ghastly faces an indication that death had made its visit and had taken them away. The worst part was...the worst part was their eyes were still open. They seemed to be staring at him, their eyes mutely begging, "why? Why the betrayal, Discord? Why have you done this?"_

_And it was that night that the incarnation of chaos broken down crying harder than he had in his life; screaming and clawing at his fur in grief, his melodic wail of anguish echoing through the palace walls._

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Discord awoke in sweats, breathing out sharply inhaled pants and letting a cold tremor pass through his body as he tried to get re-familiar with his surroundings and remind himself that the horrendous nightmare was over.

Shaken, he pushed his serpentine body up into a sit and let his crimson eyes dart about the room, as if expecting he'd see the cold and lifeless bodies in front of him, at the edge of his bed; their glassy and lifeless eyes staring up at him. His voice hitched back in fear when he saw something at the end of his bed, but further examination revealed it was only Fluttershy's stupid bunny.

The spirit forced out a weak and awkward chortle, flopping down against his pillow and rolling his eyes at his subconscious mind. Oh really, that old dream again?

He shut his eyes, the pathetic smile fading to a tense and tight frown as he shivered.

_Yes..that old dream again._

Annoyed more than anything, he scratched at his head when he felt an itch. He honestly wondered if perhaps he could scratch away that dream too, forever. Oh how lovely that would be – to never have to worry about the one thing that was always trying to get on his mind. He seemed to be doing a good job of keeping it off for a while.

_But you, pesky little mind and emotion destroying memory don't want to leave me alone, do you~?_

As if responding to his light statement, the haunting images returned to his memory once more, destroying his weak sneer and turning it to more of a trembling look of horror as he tightly shut his eyes.

"Discord?" The bloody visions dissipated from his mind and he carefully cracked open an eye, not trusting on what might enter his eyesight. No, just that ever familiar, deeply concerned little pegasus he had been forced to live under a roof with for two months.

"Are you..are you okay?" Fluttershy whispered, extending a hoof to tentatively touch his face. She noted he flinched pretty bad, and knew it wasn't just because he despised anypony touching him; he had a slight jump when she put her hoof on his face. Something was wrong.

"I am fine!" he snapped defensively, swiping away one of the pegasus's hooves, causing her to flinch as well. "Leave me be – it was just a nightmare!"

Yet, Fluttershy knew he wasn't fine and she knew it by the odd tone to his voice; it wasn't its usual simple annoyed and snippy tone, but more ragged and angry, and almost sounded like...like he was trying to..cover _up_ something?

The look on his face betrayed every emotion the pony had just seen, as he merely summoned a glass of brimming chocolate milk in a large crystal glass, licking up the spills with his snake like tongue and slurping from a silly straw. When given a questioning look, he shrugged.

"Best cure for nightmares~!"

Fluttershy left it at that. All was silent now, save for the rude slurping and licking from the draconequus trying to relax there on his cottony mattress. He tucked his feet in (one still bandaged from 'that thing' with Celestia) under the blankets as the pegasus gently pulled the covers up past his chin. He was too tired to notice the gentle, feather light touch of the pegasus affectionately nuzzling his side; his exhausted, red eyes finally drooping shut.

Fluttershy didn't bother going to her own bed, and to be honest, she was still far too concerned about him to leave his side. Okay, so the spirit was no longer in danger of dying, and matter-a-fact, he was completely healthy with the exception of his 'poor burned footsie', as he called it. Things just...didn't seem right to her. He wasn't acting like himself at all, and when she came down the stairs, she saw him squirming and struggling and – whimpering – in his sleep. It wasn't pain.

Or at least...it wasn't physical pain.

There was nothing Fluttershy could do but watch helplessly as the calm and usual smirk on his face contorted to a twisted look of discomfort and fear; his body giving involuntary twitches of fright and soft whimpers sounding from his throat all through the night.

xxxxxxxx

Sunlight flooded into the cottage and every inhabitant was already awake and bustling about in the kitchen that morning; animals cleaning breakfast dishes with their rough sandpaper tongues, only to be lightly reminded to use a dish cloth to clean the muck from the porcelain.

Angel's ears tilted curiously and he wrinkled his tiny pink nose, twitching his snow white fur in confusion as his paw only grabbed the empty air around the tap. He shot a questioning glance to his owner, who didn't need to put too much problem solving in figuring out what had happened to the dish cloth.

The feathery wisp of his tail purposely wagged into her eyes and tickled the tip of her snout. She contemplated grabbing the tail in her mouth, wondering if she'd actually be strong enough to yank him to her. Pulling Discord down from the ceiling, now that would be a story.

Her mouth latched firmly around the tail, and she smirked into the scales when he gave an annoyed grunt. Before the pegasus could even try to pull his weight, he lifted her swiftly with ease. Fluttershy shrieked and clutched onto the tail, and he laughed as she trembled.

Within seconds her ice blue irises met the mismatched, manipulative red ones, as did her frowning face with his smirking and questioning one.

"Oh, my dear, I wouldn't bite that if I were you – you have no idea where that tail has been." To accent his words, he wiggled the long tail, snickering as Fluttershy shrieked and tried to keep hold. "Do I taste like chocolate milk?" He pouted at the shake of her head. "How funny, I always did think I would taste like chocolate milk. Or, perhaps, cotton candy?" Another shake of the head. "Maybe it's just my scales would."

Fluttershy muffled a scream into the scales as he tossed the dish cloth up into his jaws, and then bolted like an arrow to the other side of the ceiling. She clamped down harder on his tail, and she wasn't going to let go until he gave her that cloth.

Discord grunted in discomfort as her jaws squeezed a little tighter around the end of his tail and he flicked it in annoyance, amusement giving off to anger.

"Let go," he said flatly.

Fluttershy only smiled; his glares and glowers no longer frightened her or even intimidated her in the least little bit. Having lived with the mischievous spirit for two months now, she was more than used to it. Her jaws unclenched from his tail, and she instead replaced them with a hoof as she held the other one out.

"A tail for a cloth," she whispered slyly, keeping a hoof held out expectantly. For a moment, he seemed to consider this as he gazed at the cloth, swinging it in his talon and shooting glances back at the eager pony now and then. At the last second, he smirked, and Fluttershy groaned, gripping his tail tightly as he tossed the cloth back into his mouth and turned abruptly in the air, giving the effect of a roller coaster.

Fluttershy screeched and held on for dear live as his serpentine body wavered up and down in the air, side to side, and around and around, creating corckscrews, loop-de-loops, and diving down with acceleration. She gave a long piercing girly screech as the spirit laughed like a child, having the time of his life there in the air.

The pegasus began scaling up his back, dimly recalling in this chaos that she had done the same thing in the garden. Tickling him could work; he'd laugh and drop the cloth instantly, but the pegasus liked trying different tactics when dealing with her creatures. She continued to climb up over his spiked mane, perching behind his ears. He flew faster to try and shake her off.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Fluttershy half panted and half grinned, gripping his mane like handles. At the last second – before he flew to close to the wall – she flipped off his head in the air and flapped in front of him.

Discord merely snickered and tossed the cloth back into his mouth, grinning triumphantly behind him, as he was sure he flicked her off somewhere in the air. ...So where was she? Right when he turned his head, he saw her, hovering in the air, waiting. He wasn't able to skid to a stop fast enough and he clutched the cloth even tighter. No way in Equestria was she getting-

She leaned in, her gentle kiss to the tip of his furry snout like the flutter of a small butterfly, that left his face as quick as it had landed. He just froze solid, shocked, the dish cloth falling from his mouth and delicately landing in Angel's paw below.

Fluttershy grinned widely, diving down to her bunny friend and slapping his paw in victory. Turning back to her sink, she drained the water and began to refill the now cold water with steaming hot dish water.

Discord just hovered there in the air, unable to move; his mouth only open a little – enough to have let the cloth fall out. His wide pupils blinked in pure shock. Listening to the two giggle below, he tentatively touched the end of his snout; a strangle feeling coiled around his indifferent heart.

The door opened, much to his relief, despite hating the visitor that bounded in and rushed over to the pegasus in a frenzy.

"Fluttershy, Rarity asked me if it would be alright if...-pant- y-you could-" Twilight's words broke out in a strained fit of coughing, her lungs feeling tangled from her desperate run from the boutique all the way to the edge of the forest.

"Oh my..Twilight, do sit down, and Angel? Could you please bring her a glass of water?" She hurriedly grabbed a cloth and dabbed it against the pony's sweaty cheeks and mane, absorbing some of the sweat. "Twilight, you really _shouldn't _be running out in this heat! It is very bad for you..."

Angel quickly hopped to her owner's side, offering the glass of water, and earning a gentle pat and a "thank you."

"Oh, Twilight, you're so sweaty and you're just overheating even more! I should really get something to cool you-" And she was cut off, giving a gasp as a surge of chocolate milk drenched the poor purple mare, Twilight giving a gargled screech of surprise of her own as the freezing and thick liquid poured down on her.

"_Discord!_" Fluttershy exclaimed angrily, glaring up at the hysterically laughing spirit.

"Ohohoho, you wahahanted help!" Discord choked out between fits of laughter, slapping his paw to his eyes and somehow rolling onto his belly and pounding the air. "Ahaha – that was just _prihiceless!_"

Twilight coughed out a bit of the chocolate milk, cringing as its taste mixed with her perspiration. "Thank you, Discord," she said very sweetly. "I needed the cool down." Since injuring him, she had tried to make amends, but it never seemed to really work.

"You're welcome, Killer Sparkle," he returned in a mockingly sweet voice, snickering at the wince the unicorn gave and the glare he received from his pegasus caretaker.

"What a bad boy.." Fluttershy muttered quietly, shaking her head as the draconequus began gleefully chasing poor Hummingway with a butterfly net. "I can send him to his bed if you want, Twilight."

Twilight laughed lightly, wiping some chocolate milk from her face. "Oh..no, it's alright, Fluttershy. It actually did feel good.." She sighed and flicked her now chocolate-glued mane. "If not a little sticky."

Fluttershy merely sighed, resting her forehead against her hooves and absently mopping some chocolate milk from the table. "What were you all panicked about, Twilight? Is everypony alright?"

Twilight stood up, brushing some thick chocolate droplets from her mane and trying to shake some of the excess liquid off. "Yes – well, no. I mean, every_pony_ is alright, but-" Fluttershy caught on immediately:

"Oh no! What's wrong with the pets? Is it Winnona? Spike?"

"It's Opal," Twilight continued, "she's – well, a little under the weather today, and Rarity was hoping-"

The pegasus had already torn from her seat and over to her medicine cabinets, hastily clenching her trusty medicine kit in between her teeth, and was already at the door, just about to burst through it, when she stopped, halting, and bumping into Twilight.

"Oh no, I can't leave him.." Fluttershy sighed, looking over to where said 'him' was busy painting the walls with different types of jam...and peanut butter. "He needs..constant supervision."

"So I see," Twilight mused, not particularly surprised as he swallowed the paintbrush and instead used his hands to gleefully make food prints decorate the walls and ceiling. "I've talked it over with the mayor, kind of figuring you're both tired of being cooped up in the cottage. It took a lot of convincing, but.." The flap to her saddlebag opened up by magic and a thick leather rope floated in front of the shocked peagusus's face.

Fluttershy bit her lip to hold back the smile as she fingered the rope with her hoof. "Leash law."

At that point, Discord plopped down heavily onto the ground behind them, having not yet seen the leash. "Did I hear right? Are we finally going for a walky?" His ruby eyes gleamed childishly. The moment Fluttershy held up the leash he fell down laughing. "Ohohoho, how cute~! You seriously think you're going to get that on me?"

The pegasus trotted over to his side, running a hoof down the rope thoughtfully. "Well, if you really want to come then you have to put this on." She winced as he slapped it angrily from her hoof.

"What do you think I am, a dog?" Discord snapped, watching the leash as it whipped into the wall and fell into a coiled heap on the floor. "There is no way in Equestria you're putting a _leash_ on me." He turned roughly away from the two ponies, crossing his arms and giving a frivolous pout.

Fluttershy merely shrugged her shoulders, casually making her way to the door with Twilight. "Well, alright then," she said, "I'll be back in a few hours. In the meantime, I'll send Pinkie Pie to look after-"

She was never given a chance to finish her sentence, as in one quick moment, Discord had wriggled the leash on, stuffed the handle in her mouth, and darted out the door in a cloud of dust, dragging his captor behind him.

Fluttershy watched an ant as it struggled to carry a bread crumb in the grass, pulling its weight and the flaky soft crumb up over a few blades of grass, before disappearing into a small hole in the earth.

She should probably be looking where she was going or keeping an eye on Discord, as she could feel the leash being tugged in all different sorts of directions as he tried to pull free now and then. Her head should be up, but she could hardly take the glares of contempt and fear from ponies all around her. It just broke her heart that they thought so low of her now.

Discord was busy licking away at a caramel apple that he had begged for from Fluttershy the moment they passed the food vendors. Why he didn't just summon one up he had no idea, but, oh Equestria, they looked delicious. He floated on his back as Fluttershy tugged him along, and he noted how her head was down.

From across the road, stacking some vegetables into a cart was Carrot Top. She tucked a few carrots and cabbages into a cart and glanced disdainfully over to where the pegasus and spirit were walking.

"Oh, Equestria, can you believe that pony?" she asked Bon Bon in disgust, "she treats that beast like her pet." Bon Bon nodded in agreement. "I don't know what her problem is; I know she's the shy one, but is she also completely STUPID?"

Discord's head shot up at that as he narrowed his eyes over at the agreeing ponies, and he chuckled darkly to himself, a golden hue coating his talon, and – unbeknowst to the two ponies – the vegetables in their cart were also starting to glow.

"I mean, what was she-" And Carrot Top was cut off, screaming as her vegetables exploded into a shower of rainbow confetti, which covered the two horrified ponies and some nearby.

Discord fell onto his back, laughing hysterically and holding his stomach. "Ohohoho! That was prihihihceless!" He didn't even notice as Fluttershy angrily tightened her grip on his leash and dragged the madly giggling spirit along to the boutique.

Rarity was not thrilled to open the door. Well, at first she smiled when she saw it was her friend, but then grimaced and narrowed her eyes in disgust, her nose wrinkling up as if she smelled something dreadful.

"I appreciate you coming to help Opalescence, darling, but you'll have to tie your _dog_ to a pole outside."

At that, Discord stopped laughing, shooting up and glaring at the rude, fashionista unicorn. "A dog? A _dog?_ Where exactly on my body do you see any DOG features, you ignorant foal?" He then glanced down at his collar. "Ugh, right."

Fluttershy giggled, gently slipping past her friend and pulling Discord up the steps. "Oh, don't worry, Rarity.. I promise he will be on his best behavior.." She then turned and gave the spirit a mother-scolding-glare. "_Right?_"

"I give you my word~" he singsonged, smirking and crossing an insincere finger over his chest. Rarity was rightfully not convinced, as she used magic to drag the draconequus as far to the back of the room as she could, before escorting Fluttershy over to where Opal was laying in her bed, disheveled and miserable looking.

"Oh, please tell me Opal will be alright! I couldn't live without my little Opalescence!" Her hoof flew to her forehead dramatically, tears rolling down her face. "It would be the worst most possible thing!" She flopped over the bed, mane hitting the floor.

Fluttershy examined the cat extensively, taking into her arms and checking her over. At last, as a horrified Rarity and a curious Discord watched on. At last, she had come to a diagnosis:

"She has a cold."

Rarity shrieked in horror and flopped back on the bed, moaning. Slowly, Fluttershy glanced back at her multibeast companion, and both couldn't help but roll their eyes at the melodramatic display. Still, Fluttershy stroked a gentle hoof down her friend's back.

"She'll be just fine, Rarity. I'll try and help her get better. There's no need to worry."

"Pinkie Pie, ah'm tellin' ya, I reckon you love sweet foods as much as the next pony, but ah don't think that maple syrup would taste too good in some noodle soup, nor would it really help a cold," Applejack pointed out, trotting out of Rarity's kitchen and balancing a bowl of chicken soup on her head.

"Well maybe not!" Pinkie piped, bouncing up and down on the ground and around Applejack, nearly making the pony spill the soup. "But it surely is delicious! I reckon – whatever that word means – that Opal would love it!"

"Not today, Pinkie," Rainbow Dash muttered, rolling her eyes. "I mean, really – it's nodle soup with maple syrup. That is just.."

"Now, Rainbow," Applejack chuckled, "stop trying to stifle Pinkie's...ah..delightful creativity. Go make yerself useful and clean up the kitchen." As she rounded the corner with the pink earth pony, a bucket of water tipped over her head. It was no secret as to how it got there and who set it there – especially when the culprit started giggling madly and pointing at her drenched face.

"And who in tarnation invited you?" the southern pony asked flatly, glaring as Discord tapped her playfully on the nose.

"Why must I need an invitation, Applejack? Need you be so rude? If you must know, Fluttershy had to leave to tend to this furball and I'm sure we all know her house wouldn't be left alone in her absence." He floated upside down, smirking.

Applejack ignored the draconequus as she trotted past - making it a point to kick some dirt into his face - and brought the soup over to Opalescence. The cat merely looked at it, before turning its head.

"So what's the diagnosis, Doctor Fluttershy?" Twilight questioned, having just stepped into the boutique, her saddlebag weighing her to the ground with her books, and Spike comically behind her, trying to shove her in, grunting as he did.

"Twilight, are all these books really necessary?" Spike moaned, catching a few as they fell out of the bag.

"Yes, Spike, they are," Twilight said firmly, flipping through a few books and using magic to levitate the rest of them over to Opal's bed. "Flipping through a few of my books, I found a few good possible names to Opal's sickness. We have pneumonia, a-"

"She has a cold," Fluttershy dead panned.

"Cold: a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages, but not directly the lungs. Best known remedies: medicine, bed rest, plenty of fluids, and soups." Twilight set the book down and looked over to the steaming bowl of soup. "Well, we have the soup down."

Discord glanced over at the bed with a bored look on his face, rolling his eyes and sighing heavily, annoyed when his deliberate attempt to get attention didn't work. Briefly, his eyes took in the sight of the steaming soup, as did his nose. It smelled delicious, creamy and salty, but perhaps... it could use a little spice?

Snickering maniacally, the draconequus watched as the usual magic glow formed in his talon, and a small bottle of hot sauce appeared over the bowl, tipping and spilling a few of its fiery drops.

The bottle disappeared just as Fluttershy turned and offered the bowl to the sick feline. Opal tried to turn her head away, but a promise of her favorite treat made her eagerly stick her tongue into the bowl and lap up the liquid. After a few seconds, everypony watched in awe and horror as the cat's cheeks puffed out with the liquid, tears filling her eyes.

"..._NYAAAARRGHH!_" Fluttershy watched, giving a shriek as Opal jumped off the bed and ran blindly around the room, trying to extinguish the fire on her tongue. Discord was laughing uncontrollably, tears in his eyes at the poor kitty's plight.

Rarity gave a horrified shriek of her own as her cat thrust her head into a flowerpot filled with water. Rarity looked ready to _chew that horrible spirit OUT_, but amazingly, Fluttershy beat her to it.

"Discord, how dare you!" Discord continued kicking his legs in laughter, up until the pegasus got right in his face, pressing her nose against his snout and shoving a furious hoof into his chest.

"How dare you pick on a sick and defenseless creature, let alone my friend's pet! That was mean and I told you were to be on your best behavior today or I won't let you leave the house again! You told me you'd be GOOD!"

Discord chuckled. "And you actually took my word for it? Oh, poor, sweet, and wonderfully naive Fluttershy.." He gave a choked and gargled gag as the pegasus roughly grabbed the leash with her teeth and began dragging him off to another room. When she emerged, still breathing somewhat heavily, she was without the spirit.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, Sugarcube," Applejcak said softly, first of the baffled ponies to speak, "but..ah.. did y'all just give Discord...a time out?"

"Well, he asked for it," Fluttershy said, giving a resigned sigh and flopping down in the middle of her friends. "Oh girls, I don't know what I am going to DO with him!" Multi colored hooves from all around affectionately rubbed her back and mane.

"I think it's pretty easy what you've gotta do, Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, rolling her eyes as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's all better now and he's all evil again – send him back in stone!"

"NO!" Everpony jumped back in alarm from Fluttersh'y harsh shout. "No, never again! I will not allow him to be encased in stone. I will NEVER allow that! I-I-"

"Darling.." Rarity placed a hoof on her friend's shaking shoulder, looking into those sweet tear filled blue eyes. "You are getting too attached to him.. You need to remember what he's done.."

"I don't care about what he's done!" she cried, lip trembling in anger and sadness. "Look at what Nightmare Moon did, and – and she was forgiven!" Another hoof touched her shoulder, a purple one.

"There is a difference between Discord and Nightmare Moon, Fluttershy," Twilight said softly. "Nightmare Moon was an evil influence and not even the real Princess Luna, and..Luna was sorry for what she had done."

"Hunny, why can't you just accept who he is, that you can't change him, and..he can't stay with ya?" Applejack asked softly, trying to put her arm around her.

Fluttershy angrily jerked away, her eyes smouldering with a determined and fiery passion. "Because...I care about him too much to give up."

xxxxxxxx

The soft embers dancing at the top of the candlewick dotted patterns down onto the umpteenth scroll she tried to write on that evening; the rest discarded into the grass.

Nopony had told Fluttershy that writing was such a hard task, but it would be of course; she didn't have any magic to help her. Her hopeless tears staining and ruining the scroll, the pegasus's eyes scanned over each letter, reading over their failed attempts and not to mention sloppy scribbles of words.

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

How are you doing this evening? Are you doing well? I'm happy to report that all is well here in Ponyville and at my cottage.

Ugh.

_My dearest Princess,  
><em>_  
>It is a lovely night, don't you think? Princess Luna can make such a beautiful moon...<em>

BIGGER Ugh!

_Princess Celestia,_

Please, oh please DO something with this spirit!

Ugh times infinity..

_Dear Princess,_

...Um... never mind, I'll let you go to bed.

Fluttershy moaned and let her head flop down onto the scroll, not even bothering to wipe the ink off her face and watching as it smeared all over the page. What was she doing? Contacting the princess – was she _mad?_ She couldn't contact the princess! In only mere seconds Celestia would be down here and would have the draconequus back into stone before Fluttershy could stomp a hoof. It would be a betrayal to her heart, and worse, a betrayal to him.

The pegasus looked back to the cottage. Even so far from the window, she could make out his desperately twitching form, and the way he thrashed in terror. Oh no, not again. Without even a second thought, the pony flew through her door, and towards his bed.

It was hard to avoid his thrashing appendages, and especially that tail that whipped fiercely through the air, whacking the bed and almost Fluttershy's face. She managed to avoid his subconscious bruising kicks and punches as she wriggled up beside him, pressing a hoof on his face.

He didn't wake, but the thrashing ceased; an indication that her soothing hoof had seeped some level of comfort into his dreams. His limbs fell limply to the side, closed eyes twitching in terror every so often, the outside of the lids becoming wet.

Fluttershy shook her head, holding back her own tears as she tiredly rested her cheek against his.

_Oh, Discord... What are you hiding and why can't I figure out how to help you?_

_xxxxxxxx_

_(So, lots-o-plot going down in this chapter, eh? We've got a Discord that's having freakish nightmare flashbacks (of what? ), a Discord trying to figure out why the hay little Fluttershy is somehow worming into his heart, some insight on his past, a despondent Fluttershy.._

_Yep...plot be taking off._

_Aegeus is Greek for "protection", and Astraia is Green for "star". Thought it fit since the princess's names are plays on Greek words._

_(Also, Honey Dew is the great grandmother of Rain Drizzle )_


	7. Chapter 7

"That was the last of the lettuce."

"I know."

"...You turned the rest of my lettuce into taffy."

"I know."

"...I can't eat this sandwich now."

"..I know~"

Fluttershy groaned, her saffron form rolling into the rich grass, the blades tickling her nose, brushing over her soft cheeks. She absently pulled the mayonnaise covered, wet and slimy piece of green taffy, grimacing as it stuck to her hooves. She was glad she noticed he had once again transformed her vegetable into some sort of sweet before eating it. That would have been a vile mixture.

"If you keep this up, you naughty thing, we'll be all out of vegetables soon!" Fluttershy punctuated her sentence with a firm, admonishing poke with her hoof to the cinnamon colored chest. The anger in her eyes only made the impish draconequus snicker.

"Oh please, my dear, because veggies are actually better than candy and sweets?" As he said this, an eagle talon snaked towards the soiled sandwich, peeling the mayonnaise covered taffy from the flabby bread. Fluttershy was amused to see he seemed to take a hesitant glance at the slimy candy, before gobbling it up.

"Ugh - _gag!_" The satisfied smirk on his face contorted into one of pure disgust, cheeks puffing out to keep in the vomit, although he spat the multicolored morsel of food halfway down the hill. Fluttershy fell on her back in giggling hysterics as the horrified spirit desperately pawed at his tongue to cleanse it.

Discord hastily summoned a pitcher of chocolate milk, gulping it down and ridding his tainted taste buds of what was easily one of the worst things he ever had the misfortune of assaulting his poor tongue with. He flashed a glare to the giggling little pony, and Fluttershy barely managed to roll to the side before the rest of the pitcher came down in a torrent of brown liquid where she was originally laying.

"What did you expect?" the pegasus laughed, giggles further fizzing out behind her butter colored hoof when she saw Discord's tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth in disdain. "You just ate apple taffy covered in mayonnaise and mustard!"

He gargled away the last of the lingering taste with chocolate milk before speaking, notably having to swallow several gags. "I've tried countless different food combinations in my everlasting life, and I figured this chaotic creation would be no exception to deliciousness. Apparently I was wrong."

The saffron pegasus's eyes twinkled mischievously in the sunlight. "Interesting foods? You mean when you ate my bath towels last night?"

"They were cream colored and had oranges and strawberries stitched into them. What else was I supposed to do with it?"

"..Dry yourself," Fluttershy advised, only to earn an insufferable eye roll and a long drawn out "booooring" as he turned the rest of their delectable, three feet sandwiches into cinnamon buns. So much for a healthy lunch. Well, they still had the milk – that he just turned into soda.

"I would say eating candy with mustard and towels doesn't even begin to compare to the way he drinks the glass instead of his milk."

Both pony and chimera flipped around on their checkered picnic blanket, just in time to see the lavender form cantering up their hill, a playful smile on her face.

Fluttershy beamed, eagerly making some space on the blanket as she hastily swiped the used-to-be-vegetables off the blanket, amidst Discord's protesting whines as his creations tumbled into the dirt.

"The drinking the glass incident, I almost forgot about that," Fluttershy laughed, happily and affectionately nudging her forehead against the unicorn's, ignoring the heavily sulking draconequus across from them. She knew he still wasn't particularly fond of Twilight.

"Twilight, how did you know we'd be here?"

Twilight smiled, resting her head against the rugged bark of the tree trunk behind her. "Well, I know on the nicest of days you usually take picnics outside the cottage on the hill underneath your favorite cherry tree!"

As if on cue, a bright golden flash transpired up in the leaves and every cherry became a thick, sugar coated gumdrop. Discord descended down from a tree branch, an uncharacteristically compassionate smile on his face.

"Not to worry, my dear Twilight Sparkle, I've saved one just for you." He held out the bright, crimson cherry in the palm of his feline paw, and a hungry Twilight took it with magic, amidst Fluttershy frantically shaking her head.

"Thank you, Discord; Spike ate my pancake this morning when I wasn't looking, so a cherry is most appreciated!" Keeping the fruit in the magic bubble, Twilight was just about to swallow it whole..when a worm wriggled its way out of a tiny puncture hole. The worm was wearing shades. It flashed her a toothy grin.

Discord fell to his back in laughing hysterics, his brown belly shaking with mirth as Twilight gave an indignant shriek and tossed the cherry, worm and all down the hill.

"Ohoho, that was pe-her-icele-hess!" He tried to splutter out a snarky remark, but only burst into more guffaws each time he looked at the unicorn's horrified face. "Don't you know it's not n-ni-hice to refuse a gift?" He smirked. "And beggars can't be choosers after all~" He poofed the cherry back into a gum drop, tossing the fruit and worm into his open jaws.

Twilight pursed her lips in annoyance, gratefully accepting a cinnamon bun held out from Fluttershy, and turning to reprimand the mischievous spirit. He was gone.

"What?" Beyond perplexed, Twilight stared at the spot on the blanket he had been laying on. There was nothing but a small stream of fluttering leaves from above, and a smirking saffron pegasus holding a feather duster. Twilight's eyes roamed up to the tree branch, where she saw the miffed spirit clinging, back hunched and ears back like an annoyed cat.

"I found this idea yesterday afternoon when I was dusting," Fluttershy giggled, placing the feather duster on the blanket and turning to her friend. "Now what brings you here, Twilight?"

"Well.." Twilight was trying to ignore the draconequus that was stacking gumdrops on her her head. "A couple times a year when Celestia's royal duties let up a bit – or in this case, Princess Luna takes over – the princess and I get a day or so together to talk about my studies, and well, everything." A dreamy look came into her eyes, and Fluttershy smiled, knowing how much her friend loved pleasing her mentor.

"It's the most anticipated day of the year for me, and I was wondering if you...maybe wanted to come this time?"

To say that Fluttershy was surprised would be a gross understatement, as the pegasus knew how much time with the princess meant to her friend, and just how rare it occurred. Twilight was not a stingy pony in the slightest, but she always did want to drink in the private moments with Celestia.

"That is _very_ generous, Twilight, and I'm ever so grateful, but why?" She placed a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "Don't you want to be alone with Celestia? I mean, I understand that. It's not like I will feel left out or anything."

Twilight gave her friend a wayward smile, dipping her head and speaking in hushed tones so the draconequus currently chasing _birds _wouldn't hear.

"You see Fluttershy, I figure this would be a perfect chance for you and Celestia to talk about Discord. I know you tried it before and it didn't go very well..."

"That is putting it lightly," Fluttershy mumbled, remembering her worthless conversation with the princess that night. "I suppose..I wouldn't mind giving it another try." A small grin spread over her face. "Not to mention stay in Canterlot Palace!"

Twilight laughed, nudging her forehead playfully against Fluttershy's. "You have to be on your best behavior," she teased, grinning, "and for the record, you'd be in the library with me. Well, the library wing in the palace." Her smile fell as she narrowed her eyes at the spirit painting polka dots on some trees. "So would he."

Fluttershy groaned, wincing as the healthy green leaves were turned colors of purple, yellow, and red. "Don't worry, I'll make him promise to at least let up a bit on the mischief. I can't promise anything, but I'll try."

Twilight stood, taking a few cinnamon buns into a veil of purple magic. "Pack up then; we leave in an hour."

xxxxxxxx

A canvas of pink and orange was already overtaking the skies above Canterlot Palace, and the air was already becoming chilly in the summer evening. Sunsets in Canterlot were the single most magnificent thing a pony could witness, and this had been Fluttershy's first.

"Wow," she whispered in awe, her cyan eyes sparkling in the twilight skies. "The sunset makes the roof of the palace sparkle so beautifully. Oh – Canterlot gardens!" She scampered off towards the gates.

Twilight was about to gently scold her friend on her insubordinate arrival, but was halted by the gentle, angelic laugh from behind her.

"The gardens do make for quite a sight in the sunset when they're already sparkling in the evening dew, don't they? I figured Fluttershy would love that."

Celestia bent her head to give her student a greeting nuzzle, ignoring the scowling mismatched beast behind the unicorn, and focusing only on the childish pegasus in the gardens.

"Excuse her, Princess," Twilight begged with an embarrassed flush, nervously rubbing behind her head with a hoof. "She just loves flowers." She watched as the butter colored pony began chasing a distressed gopher through the flowers. "..And animals. Ehehe. Fluttershyyy!"

The pegasus skidded to a stop before nearly trampling a few roses; the grateful gopher scampered away when he had the chance.

Fluttershy came galloping out of the garden in a frenzy, head bowed in shame as she kowtowed to the princess. "Oh, Princess Celestia, I am so _so _sorry." She chewed the inside of her cheek, smiling sheepishly. "I got a little carried away when I saw the gardens again."

Celestia chuckled, turning towards the entrance of the palace, the two ponies and draconequus following. "It's quite alright, my dear; I know how much you love all nature and creatures." A stressed look leaked into her violet eyes as she briefly glanced at Discord. "All creatures," she mumbled.

Fluttershy bowed her head, her rosette mane dragging in the dirt path as she realized the princess knew why she had come. Well, of course she'd figure it out – why else would she come to the palace?

"You may go unpack your things and get ready for dinner," the princess told them cheerfully, "Luna should be finished with the royal audience soon and she may be joining us after raising the moon." She caught Fluttershy's nervous smile, remembering how her sister said she unintentionally petrified the poor pony on Nightmare Night.

"Thank you, Princess; we'll meet you in the dining room shortly." Twilight gave her friend a gentle nudge from behind, and she noted both the pegasus and alicorn were looking evenly at the spirit hunched there in a childish position on the floor.

Celestia aimed her horn at him, and Discord didn't have a chance to demand an explanation as he disappeared with a soft violet glow. She turned to the horrified ponies, fixing the two with a reassuring smile.

"I teleported him to one of the palace green houses. It's about to be torn down you see, but there's plenty of things for him to mess with and keep him occupied." She trotted towards the dining room. "It will at least keep him out of our manes until after dinner.."

Fluttershy and Twilight made their way to the library wing, and Fluttershy gawked as Twilight opened the large swinging doors.

The palace library was just incredible, from its twisting, spiraled stairways, to the rows rows of multicolored books flooding the old shelves, to the massive silver, protruding telescope sitting on a stand outside the balconies that were lined with vines.

"Wow," Fluttershy murmured in astonishment to the endless line of books and scrolls. "Did you read all of these?" She knew Twilight would confirm it in a moment, but she still couldn't fathom anypony reading so much books in such a short lifetime.

"Yep~!" The unicorn held her head up with pride. "All four thousand, nine hundred and fifty six of them." She hesitated, tilting her head at the dusty shelf at the back of the library. "Well, not all of those ones. Those are the Equestrian History books and where I found the book on Nightmare Moon and the Elements Of Harmony."

The lavender unicorn trotted towards her old bed, blowing dust off the wooden rails and enveloping her quilt in a magic glow, that shook the layers of dust clutching to the fabric like millions of tiny burrs.

"I'm glad you're finally a lot more comfortable with using your magic," Fluttershy said as she nudged her rolled up sleeping bag to a flattened position. "I know it took a while to get over..what it did." She noticed her friend seemed to freeze for a moment, and the pegasus's heart began to pound, regretting her words.

"It did take a while," Twilight agreed, a distant look in her eye as she averted her gaze to the window. "It was by far the worst blunder my magic ever caused." She laughed quietly, turning to grin at Fluttershy. "And I thought the whole manticore thing was the worst thing I had done.."

Fluttershy hopped up onto Twilight's bed with her, perching her chin in her hooves, a look of amusement on her face. "The manticore incident? I don't think you ever told us about that."

Twilight laughed, rolling onto her back, in snickers at the memory of her child idiocy. "Well, I was seven years old at the time, and I really wanted to catch a manticore with my magic." She bit down the giggles, especially when Fluttershy laughed as well.

"The princess told me no, obviously – well, she didn't know I wanted to catch a _manticore_, she only knew I wanted to go to Everfree. Well I went anyways, and I managed to capture a manticore with my magic. I had almost succeeded in bringing it back when it got free!"

By now the two were laughing hysterically, Twilight especially as she relived the memory.

"I was so scared and I was screaming my head off and running from the rather angry manticore! Celestia of course shows up, and – you've never seen Celestia angry until you see her trying to protect the ones she loves. Not to mention when the ones she loves disobeys her and nearly get themselves killed in the process."

Fluttershy gasped from behind her hoof, but couldn't keep in a further nervous giggle. "Oh no, what did she do?"

Twilight bit her lip, which was trembling from the repressed laughter welling inside. "I, well..I went to bed a little sore." The two stared at each other, before promptly bursting into further peals of laughter that continued until a unicorn servant at the door finally summoned them for dinner.

xxxxxxxx

_Wait until every pony is seated, wait until every pony is seated. Wait. Wait._

Twilight found herself chanting the mantra in her head, which seemed useless as she found her hoof starting to spasm at her side, wanting so bad to reach out and take a bun or something. Between Spike eating her breakfast and a worm wish shades living in her cherry, the unicorn was famished.

The spread on the long, stretching, royal table did not make fighting the temptations any easier; the table had every food imaginable, and it was all staring right into her soul.

"If you're hungry, dear, eat something," Celestia advised with a slight frown. "I've never been too keen on the customary dinner rule I know you're currently loathing more than anything right now." A slight smirk crossed the ivory face. "Especially since Luna takes forever to get her royal rump out here."

"I heard that, sister!" The three heads turned to the night princess as she sauntered from the kitchen, her posture slightly slouched and childish at her sister's teasing remark. "And in my defense, Celestia, I was helping Rain Drizzle with icing the cookies."

Celestia laughed, shooting her younger sister a knowing smirk. "And by helping do you mean eating the icing?"

The dark blue cheeks flushed a pale pink as Luna whipped her head to the end of the table so as not to look at her sister's playful and teasing grin. She was greeted with the sight of a smiling unicorn and a slightly cowering pegasus. A bit of panic rose within the princess as she struggled with her greeting, especially when she saw Fluttershy.

"OH, FLUTTERSHY, TWILIGHT, WE ARE CHARMED TO SEE THEE AGAIN!"

Fluttershy squeaked in fear, ducking behind Twilight, while Twilight cringed and Celestia quietly cleared her throat. The embarrassed alicorn took a deep breath, approaching the two cautiously.

"Apologies," she said quietly, trying to smile, but obviously looking upset she had screwed up. "We – I am still getting used to...not screaming a hello." She gave a soft giggle, and Fluttershy quietly peeked out.

"And if it isn't Fluttershy, currently the keeper of that despicable being." Luna's eyes narrowed in disdain at the thought of the draconequus roaming the property somewhere, but she shook it off. "It is wonderful to see you again. I'm sorry I scared you last time."

Fluttershy relaxed to the princess's gentle smile, and she grinned in return, hesitantly shaking the offered hoof. "That's okay, princess. I-I know you were just nervous about meeting everypony. I mean, I get scared all the time."

Luna was about to greet Twilight, but found the unicorn was already hungrily ripping into a biscuit. Giggling, the alicorn took her seat at the head of the table with her amused sister, watching Twilight eat in awe and starting to feel a tad guilty.

"I really am sorry for being late," Luna mumbled, brushing a hoof through her sparkling mane sheepishly. "I really _was _helping Rain though – honest! Oh, don't give me that look, Celestia." She pouted as her sister snickered. "Just ask Rain Drizzle if you don't believe me!"

"I will then." Celestia looked up to one of her closes servants and adviser as the elder mare came near. "Rain Drizzle, did Lu-" She and Luna hopped back as Twilight threw herself at the unicorn, nearly tackling her down with impact of her overjoyed hug.

"Oh, Rain Drizzle!" Twilight exclaimed, nuzzling her childhood nanny from her days at the palace. "It's been so long since I've seen you." She nestled in as the unicorn wrapped her hooves around her, stroking her mane.

"Darling, I was so happy to hear you were coming today." The wrinkled mare lightly nuzzled her surrogate child's face, hovering a stack of cream buns onto Twilight's plate and laughing as her filly gasped in delight.

"I even made your favorite cream buns for the occasion!" She blinked as Twilight gave a quiet squeal of delight and scampered back to her plate.

"I see you made somepony's day, Rain," Celestia laughed, watching in endearment as her young charge sat back in her chair and devoured bun after bun.

"All part of the job I suppose, Celestia," Rain Drizzle chuckled, about to trot back to the kitchen, and only sitting down when Celestia quietly requested her to stay and pulled back her chair for her.

"I can't take credit for the meal, but I hope you all enjoy the cookies. It was hard wrestling them away from Luna."

The table fell into an amused silence, save for Luna's, which was more of horror when she realized she had been caught. Fluttershy and Twilight grinned as the night alicorn tried desperately to escape from Celestia's impending wrath. Judging by the purple bubble of magic that grabbed and dragged the night alicorn back to her sister, it had been a failure.

"Oh, you're such a little sneak and liar!" Celestia exclaimed, holding her sister to her lap and rapidly nuzzling the blue belly with the end of her snout. Luna gave a laughing shriek, fighting to curl her body up and out of range of the snout.

"Tiaaa!" Luna wailed with laughter, trying to push her older sister's snout from her belly and wriggle away. With Celestia's strength it was never any contest as who would win. "Plehease, everypony is watchinnngg!"

Fluttershy and Twilight beamed at each other, observing the heartwarming sister bonding in silence as they finished dinner and nibbled on their cakes.

Fluttershy especially was having a blast, forgetting for a moment the real reason she was here – until the bright yellow flash appeared three feet above the table. At least he had the decency not to land on it.

Luna tried to disguise the iota of valor she lost at seeing this manipulative, hurtful creature for the first time in eons. She had refused to come out of her room the day he broke free, and Celestia hadn't pressed her. Thus, this was the first time Luna had seen Discord since he was imprisoned the first time, more than a thousand years ago.

"Discord," Celestia growled, snorting in anger and stepping back from her seat. She used magic to remove him from where he was over the table, instead slamming him onto his backside on the tile floor. "Aren't you supposed to be in the green house right now?"

Discord rubbed his sore backside with a grimace, nonchalantly floating onto his back, a cold look on his face.

"Actually, Celestia, if we're going to be speaking in literate terms, I should be in stone right about now for refusing to submit to your worthless rule like the rest of your brainwashed subjects."

"_Discord!_" Fluttershy yelled, mouth hanging incredulously as she slammed her hooves against the table, causing several dishes to jump and come back down with a loud clatter. "Do NOT say such things about the princess!"

"Thou treacherous _snake!_" Luan snarled, fanning her wings threateningly and igniting her horn in a thin, dark blue veil of magic. "HOW DARE THOU INSULT OUR SISTER, THOU INCOMPREHENSIBLE WORM!"

The tears threatening her faded in rage as she stood up to the beast, scraping her hoof against the floor and aiming her horn at the draconequus, ready to impale him if need be. He glanced back to her, looking bored, but then a cruel smirk snaked over the twisted muzzle as he approached the alicorn.

"What, feeling out, Luna? I have some lines for you too." He twiddled casually with his fingers as if a sharp, pointed horn wasn't inches from his body.

"How does it feel to be off the moon after your well deserved discipline for being such an ungrateful brat?"

Celestia knew what was coming even before it happened. "Luna, _don't-_" The princess hastily cast a a thin veil of magic to envelope the quivering ponies into a protecting shield as a bolt of blue fire sliced through a good portion of the table, sending splinters of glass flying.

Discord curled his body up, doing a quick back flip to bring his feet and tail out of the way of the blast of fire. He also summoned his own golden orb of magic around himself and Luna as the glass rained down from the shattered window.

Luna was breathing heavily, harshly, tears in her eyes as she took a fierce leap at the mismatched spirit. Discord merely watched as she jumped and jumped, only to slam into the bubble and repeat the process with growing exhaustion.

"Luna, cease this!" Celestia slammed her hoof down onto what was left of the table, her tone both enraged and deeply concerned and sympathetic as she watched her sister continue to attack the chimera in grief. Finally, Celestia needed to use magic to physically yank the night princess off the guarded spirit. Gritting her teeth, she also used magic to teleport Discord away from them, leaving only the wreckage and devastation behind.

Luna continued snarling and bucking in the magic hold, but eventually she collapsed, breathing harshly, as if trying to contain tears.

"You two need to go back to your rooms," Celestia whispered to Twilight and Fluttershy, her eyes shut tightly, voice thin with pain. "I should take Luna to bed."

Fluttershy wanted to cry. Everything had gone so perfect the entire night. She had been having such fun with her friends, and it was all so..wonderful. Now her tear filled eyes roamed the ground littered in a sea of glass; the chopped up table; Rain Drizzle's beautiful splattered food; Luna's favorite cookies destroyed. Above all, she looked at the pained princesses who's smiles she had only just seen moments ago. She watched Luna tremble and pant against the floor.

"I'm so sorry; I promise t-to talk to-"

"_NO._"

Celestia watched Fluttershy shudder from the severity of her tone and she cleared her throat, adopting a softer tone.

"No, please don't do that. He could have said much worse, and done much worse. At least..at least he didn't try attacking anypony. Please let it go. Please promise me you will just let it go. Nothing can be done anyways."

The princess stood numbly, using magic to lift her little sister and drape her over her back. The young princess usually despising to be treated like a filly didn't even lift her head when she was laid over her big sister's back like a toddler.

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks of anguish, merely turning to look back at the disaster, Celestia's rising moon darkening the room, shrouding the broken dishes, the evidence of the trauma in an ebony veil of darkness.

xxxxxxxx

The soft, purple patterned quilt draped over the still, quietly breathing form; Fluttershy leaning forward to press a soft, motherly kiss to the gray forehead. She sighed, nuzzling him ever so softly, careful to pull away from Discord before the tear dripped onto his face.

"Maybe tomorrow will be a better day," Twilight intoned quietly, glancing up from where she was reading a book in the candle light. "You-you never know." She draped a wing and part of her quilt to the distraught pegasus that sat next to her.

Fluttershy's heart felt empty and hollow; the only thing running through her mind being the faces of the hurt ponies from that evening. She could see it so clearly, as if those vibrant turquoise and violet eyes were right there in front of her. She could see all the pain, the hatred, the anger...

The cold look on Discord's face, and the frigid tone to his voice caused chills to ride up the pegasus's spine. He seemed to just _hate_ them, and it looked as if the feeling was mutual, especially on Luna's part.

But...Fluttershy had seen the tears Luna thought were so well concealed. This was before he even insulted her or Celestia. It was merely when he had just summoned himself into the room. There was something else in Discord's voice as well, and – like the rest of the hidden emotions - only Fluttershy seemed to catch it. It was...pain. Pain in his words; pain in the princess's eyes.

But why? Was he that angry they had rightfully punished him? Were they that angry he had messed with their land a little? ...Or was there more to this than meets the eye?

"Twilight.." The pegasus hesitated, turning to look at the dusty shelf her friend said she barely touched. "What kind of books are in there?"

"Equestrian History books," Twilight responded absently, flipping a page with magic and nibbling on one of the only surviving cream buns from the dinner catastrophe.

"I'm reading up on the Elements – trying to figure out how we can keep them from weakening again if an even bigger threat appears."

Fluttershy wasn't listening, trotting to the old and dusty shelf, barely by her own accord, and sifting through the old, torn books and scrolls. She grimaced from the gritty taste of the dust in her mouth, and she furiously spat some out, emerging with a thick leather book.

Gently, careful not to awaken the dozing spirit, Fluttershy set the book on the ground. She took a deep breath, blowing the layer of dust up into a billowing cloud – and promptly giving an astonished squeal as she gazed at the cover in awe.

_Equestrian Royal Origins._

"TWI – oh!" Stuffing her hoof into her mouth, the pegasus flitted anxiously towards her friend, holding onto the book with a hoof. Twilight glanced up, chagrined, the cream bun falling from her mouth as her jaw hit the floor upon seeing the cover.

"Wh-where'd you find that?" the unicorn demanded, practically tossing her other book aside and pouncing on this new one before her friend even had a chance to turn the first page.

"The back of the shelf," Fluttershy rushed on excitedly, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she gripped the edges of the first brown page in her teeth. She nearly tore the fragile paper as she whisked it aside, revealing the first page.

Celestia and Luna as fillies.

"Oh, sweet Celestia," Twilight breathed, a large grin spreading across her face as she looked at her mentor's poofy pink mane. "She's just adorable." She ran a hoof tenderly over the faded, grainy photo, giggling at newborn Luna's adorableness.

"King Aegeus and Astraia, Equestrian Gods and royalty gave birth to Celestia and Luna," Fluttershy murmured, briefly skimming the text, clearly only concerned of finding something related to Discord in there.

"Aegeus and Astraia? I've heard of them – Celestia didn't say much about her parents, but Rain Drizzle briefly taught a lesson in Equestrian history and she mentioned them. She also said they died.." Twilight's ears lowered slightly, forgetting one important thing her mentor told her: alicorns were incapable of dying without some sort of brute force.

"There's probably details of that on the next page," Fluttershy said, flipping a page. "But I don't-" She stopped, mouth hanging open enough to complete the look of shock on her face. Her breath came fast, and Twilight lunged forward to clamp a hoof over her friend's mouth as Fluttershy muffled her loud, high pitched, and endeared squeals into it.

"He's so cuuuute!" She giggled like a school filly as both laid their eyes on the tiny, mismatched, fuzzy little spirit hanging from Queen Astraia's mouth. "Look at his big red eyes, and his fluffy fur, and-"

"Okay, okay," Twilight laughed, "yes, baby Discord is adorable, now let's read here." Her smile wavered into a concentrating frown as she examined each word closely. "The King and Queen took in the spirit of Discord, nearly their adopted son, and they raised him with their daughters."

"Oh, poor thing," Fluttershy murmured, shaking her head. "He must have been so _sad_ when they died."

Twilight's ears began to lower, her heart dropping to the hollows of her stomach as she read on. "The King and Queen's adviser warned the two not to take the draconequus into their hooves, and an Equestrian seer told them this was the spirit of Discord, an ancient evil that needed to be destroyed.

He was said to be the incarnation of many evils before him, demons that poured their energy into him and made him what he was supposed to be. The seer warned them that his power was not something they'd want to reckon with and hoping to make the baby a part of their family would be a fatal mistake. The two didn't listen, and it wasn't long before her predictions started coming true.

He enjoyed...causing pain to others after a while, causing chaos. He wasn't sure why, and it began with very innocent things, doing things for the benefits of the princesses and his parents. He summoned clouds that poured candy for him and the princesses, and after a while he started to cause mischief. The King and Queen never truly did much about it since it was only apt for children to cause trouble..but it reached severity in a short amount of time."

There were now tears in Twilight's eyes, although it barely held a candle to the amount pouring from Fluttershy's. She sniffled, wiping at them, afraid to turn back to the book.

"The King and Queen tried to tame it with routine discipline, as they hadn't yet seen any true evil like the prophecy foretold. The spirit of Discord still loved them and the princesses, Princess Celestia especially. At the tender age of five, Celestia and Discord were betrothed, as legally Discord hadn't truly been adopted by the alicorns."

"Betrothed!" Fluttershy exclaimed, mouth hanging, joining Twilight's on the floor. "They were going to be married!"

"Neither of the children knew about the future marriage, but they were already showing signs of love at an early age. The seer once again warned the King and Queen that Discord would need to be banished from the family at once, but they refused to give up on the son they had come to love.

His pranks turned into full out pain that he inflicted, and he learned different tricks by smuggling the black magic spell books from the library. He enjoyed manipulating others, brain washing them and causing them to fight with one another. Strain was put on the family relationship, and his magic and very being could no longer be tamed."

Twilight put a hoof over Fluttershy's back as she wept into the cold floor; Twilight's every word shattering her heart.

"The King and Queen decided they were left with no choice but the heartbreaking decision to banish the draconequus from their palace and hearts. It is unknown if either princess or Discord learned of this, because the King and Queen died the very next day. Discord took over the throne, plunged Equestria into chaos.." Twilight took a deep, shaking breath. "And we know the rest."

Twilight shut the book, wrapping her forelegs around her friend and letting her cry into her shoulder. Fluttershy wasn't the only pony to feel heartsick, and her own tears added to the tiny puddle under the pegasus.

"Wri-written by Honey Dew," Twilight murmured, reading the back of the book. "Th-that's Rain Drizzle's great grandmother, Celestia and Luna's nanny, and therefore..Discord's nanny." She dropped the book, nuzzling back into the quietly crying pegasus.

"W-we should get to bed," Twilight murmured, "and we should put this book back in case he wakes up and sees it there." She didn't want to imagine what might transpire.

"No." Fluttershy's hoof gently came down on the book as Twilight got ready to lift it with magic. "P-please..I want to look at it a bit more."

Twilight nodded sympathetically and understandingly, only taking her book on the Elements and silently trudging off from the candle's light, towards the dusty shelf in the darkness.

The more of the old, brown pages Fluttershy turned in the orange candle light, the more pain seeped into her heart. Every photo was filled with laughter, friendship, family..and love. Every page the baby spirit looked to be laughing. Those bright red, ruby eyes shone with a playful childishness...and innocence.

Every new photo provided a deeper insight to the relationship between Discord, Celestia, and Luna. In almost every one of them he was attached to Celestia in some way, whether it be grappling with her, gnawing on her pink mane, or trying to ride on her back.

The princess was young in the photos, and Luna was clearly barely more than a newborn foal. All three of them were tiny, fuzzy, and just..so happy. Their relationship, the friendship, the simple days of rough housing and not having any cares in the world...

Fluttershy blinked away the stinging, salty liquid in her eyes as she shakily blew out the candle. Tenderly, the pegasus picked up the book in between her teeth, trying to balance the tear drops at the end of her muzzle, so not to ruin the worn leather cover.

Sniffling quietly, the disheartened pony trotted softly to the side of his bed and plopped onto her haunches. She replaced the book on the ground, breathing out quiet, squeaky sobs as she observed his sleeping form swaddled in the expensive palace quilts.

Compassionately, Fluttershy brushed her cheek against the talon hanging out of the side of the bed. She felt the fingers flex as they subconsciously felt the new texture of her rosette strands from her mane at their tips.

Fluttershy allowed the tears to quietly drip off her muzzle; they twinkled as the moonlight caught their gleam, and they slowly formed a puddle just clear of the book.

Where had it all gone so wrong? If Discord was once so happy with the princesses what prompted everything to change so drastically? What prompted it to..to be destroyed? It was nearly incomprehensible that the laughing little fillies and the baby chimera in the photo were really the same, cold alicorns and draconequus. It was hard to believe the three ever smiled at each other, or that they ever played together.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight's voice spoke softly from the dark library, and in the moonlight Fluttershy could see the pressing concern in her friend's eyes as she came near.

"I just..I just wish I knew why it had to change," the pegasus whimpered softly, beginning to quietly cry again as she nuzzled Discord's eagle talon, wishing it would awake from its slumber and rake through her hair.

"They were so happy, and now they hate each other," the pony hiccuped, her sniffling cries shaking her entire frame. "What could have-"

And she was cut off, giving a gasp of pain as bright yellow flash obscured her vision – next to the sudden cold searing pain across her face. Fluttershy stumbled back in alarm, clutching her now bleeding face in fright and confusion. It was then she saw the mismatched arms flailing and heard the panicked whimpers as he threw his quilt to the floor.

"What's happening?" Twilight gasped, at her friend's side within two seconds after seeing Discord strike her. "Are you alright? What's the matter with him?"

Fluttershy barely seemed to register the pain in her cheek now, completely fixated on the distraught, trembling spirit as he continued to be tortured by the vicious nightmare.

"It's one of his nightmares again," she murmured, bringing her hooves to her face helplessly. "I have no idea what to do when he gets like this."

Twilight observed the spirit's rare, terrified mental state for a few moments, before moving a hoof to shake him. Instantly, Fluttershy put it back to her side.

"No – don't wake him! If you do he'll only get _really_ upset because he'll know he had another freak out, and worse – we saw it all!" Her ears flattened when the spirit let out a loud, ringing scream, causing both ponies to flinch fiercely and back away.

"Well, we need to do something!" Twilight whispered fiercely. "How do you think he'll feel if Celestia or Luna will be the one to hear and come wake him? He'd be mortified!"

Fluttershy set her jaw tightly, grinding her teeth inside her closed mouth. Subtly, she tried climbing up the side of his bedsheets, carefully perching on his belly. The pegasus uttered a few gentle shushes and even tried humming to seep some level of comfort into his tormented mind, but the thrashing spirit only threw her off the side again.

Tears sprung to Fluttershy's eyes as the breath was knocked out of her, her muzzle pressing against the cold floor. She was running out of ideas, and she glanced helplessly up, feeling sick as a hint of wetness was visible on the rim of his shut eyelids.

Her eyes roamed through the dark, and they settled on the unicorn by her side. Or rather, they settled on her horn. Twilight looked on with an expression of confusion and nervousness as her friend's eyes remained glued to her horn.

Fluttershy knew just what to do, what would hopefully finally be the answer to it all and put these nightmares, his fear, and all the pain to rest.

"Twilight, I need you to help me with something."

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_(Firstly, the worm with shades comes from one of my friend's pictures. [link] Too funny of an idea not to do anything with it._

_Rain Drizzle is one of my most cherished pony OCs, despite her only being present in a few fics for several lines. And, yep, enjoy. I'm quite proud of this chapter to be honest~ I hope to have the next one up soon - I'm not really in a rift with it anymore._

_The next chapter is still at the palace and is rather dramatic. The one after that is centered more on the mane six.)_


	8. Chapter 8

The lavender unicorn was still chewing on the side of her cheek, eyes darting worriedly from her friend's intense eyes to the horn she was staring so intently at.

"You need my help? W-well, alright. What do you need me to do?"

She knew what Fluttershy would say even before it tumbled from the pegasus's mouth, although she prayed to Equestria it wasn't the case. It had indeed taken months for Twilight to be comfortable with using magic again, but she wasn't ready to try a spell, least of all on Discord.

"I need you to perform a spell for me," Fluttershy ordered, gently gripping the unicorn with her hooves and staring into her violet, searching eyes. Twilight was about to protest, but Fluttershy dragged her to the side of the spirit's bed.

Twilight let her eyes scan his shaking body in apprehension. The last spell she had done on him...

"I don't know, Fluttershy," she mumbled softly, not even realizing she was beginning to back away from her friend, and the bed. She tried to keep her composure as tears filled Fluttershy's eyes.

"Twilight, please!" Fluttershy pleaded in a ragged, sobbed whisper. "I need your help – I can't do it on my own! I don't have magic! Please.." She looked up to where the whimpering spirit lay and tossed. "We need to help him."

Twilight had to agree. He was shaking like a school filly, looking genuinely frightened by whatever was plaguing his subconscious state. Why did Twilight have a feeling it was something to do with what they just read? She was sure Fluttershy did too.

"Alright..what will you have me do?" the unicorn asked softly, pumping magic to the tip of her horn for preparation. She stood in front of the spirit, biting her lip fiercely, hard enough that it started to sting and the pony tasted the metallic taste of blood. She drew her teeth back, instead aiming her horn.

"Do you know any dream spells?"

Instantly, Twilight lost her concentration, the magic pulse fading as she turned to her friend in shock. "Dream spells! Fluttershy, those kind of spells – invading one's dream is bordering the line of black magic!"

Fluttershy tilted her head slightly. He had invaded her dreams more times than she could count. Granted, it was for the sake of protecting her, but he had used black – well, what was she thinking; he was the spirit of chaos. Of course he used black magic.

"Simply seeing into his dream is black magic?"

"Bordering it," Twilight said with an affirmed nod, extinguishing the purple light in her horn, and starting to make her way back to bed. "Tainting a dream and inflicting nightmares is the blackest of magic because it causes true suffering and psychological pain-"

"But we aren't-"

"_Invading a dream_," Twilight began with extra emphasis, silencing the pegasus, "is also tampering with a darker magic and is against Equestrian laws. That paralyzing spell I tried on Discord that started this whole mess was black magic, but it was for the sake of banishing evil so I figured I could get away with it."

Fluttershy sniffled, resting on her haunches and flinching as Discord threw off the rest of the bedsheets, that tumbled onto her. She poked her face out of the fabric.

"So then everything Discord does is black magic. That alone is enough to put him away, and add taking over Equestria to it," she mumbled. "But we've gotta do something! Twilight, who will find out all we did was look into his dream? If Celestia finds out just tell her why you did it."

Twilight's eyes wandered back to the thrashing form. The amount of fear etched into his scrunched up face drenched with perspiration was incredible, and enough for her to feel sympathetic for him. If this spell could actually help him, perhaps she'd finally have a chance of making things up to him.

The unicorn set her jaw, giving a firm nod. "Alright then."

She wrapped a foreleg around the pegasus as Fluttershy gratefully hugged her. The pony quickly and subtly trotted to one of the library shelves, levitating the spell book down to her with her horn. "Alicorn's Power" felt tainted in her touch, and the unicorn wanted to toss it out the window, but she kept it firmly in the purple bubble, walking shakily to the saffron pegasus.

"I hate this book," Twilight murmured with a shiver, laying it down and sifting through. "I really hate it, but I never memorized this dream spell, so I need to look at it."

Touching this book by magic or hoof just felt so wrong to Twilight; the very presence of the book sending shivers through her spine, and tears threatening to spill. Yet the unicorn knew that this book also had the potential to help him, and her beloved princesses. So Twilight read on.

"Fine, I think I'm finally done," the unicorn breathed out, although almost biting back her words to delay the process. She had no idea how to perform this spell and just what it may cause. For all she knew it could tamper with his mind and blacken it completely, giving him amnesia.

The unicorn stood in front of the bed, knowing she needed to lay the negative thoughts to rest. If she panicked too severely it _would_ cause fatal harm; alicorn magic needed a calm mind to perform correctly.

"Stand by my side, Fluttershy," Twilight requested, voice visibly quivering and prompting Fluttershy to gently rub her back with a hoof.

The unicorn let the pulse of power surge through her horn, softly rippling her mane and Discord's bed sheets with an invisible, calm wind. The surge of violet shot through her horn, illuminating the room; the wind blowing far fiercer.

Fluttershy watched in awe as pages swirled around the area the unicorn was standing, spiraling in the form of a cyclone. The pegasus trembled, desperately trying to snap her eyes open as unconsciousness tried to pull her under.

"No, don't fight it," Twilight ordered, trying to push the last bit of her remaining strength in the spell before the fingers of unconsciousness gripped her. They were already trying to.

"That's the spell working – it's taking us into the dream. I know..it's uncomfortable, but try to withstand...it.." Her voice was beginning to slur, eyes beginning to shut. Her knees buckled as she collapsed with Fluttershy, head slamming into the ground although the horn continued emitting a vibrant purple light.

Right before Fluttershy fell under completely, she briefly caught sight of his rapidly swinging tail – that suddenly slammed into a glass on the night table.

There was a loud clatter, followed by a shattering sound as the glass bounced off the floor tiles. The two ponies were thrust back into consciousness as if ice cold water had drenched them. Twilight's horn gave a painful, fizzing pop, send the two equines flying backwards from the sudden magic explosion.

The girls painfully stood, wondering where the spell went wrong. That's when they saw the very confused, disoriented spirit with his tired eyes half open, looking halfheartedly down at them.

"What're...you doin'?" he asked groggily, blinking in exhaustion and tilting his head questionably at Twilight's dimly lit horn.

Fluttershy was quick to come up with an excuse: "Twilight saw you kicked your blankets off and she was going to cover you again." She shot a subtle glare to the unicorn, who quickly scrambled into action to perform a spell so as not to let on they fabricated a lie.

"...Okay," was all Discord mumbled. He was out again.

The unicorn sighed as she replaced the blankets on the curled up form, poofing a new glass of milk into existence and using a spell to clean the mess of glass and liquid.

"Well, _that_ went swimmingly," the unicorn muttered sarcastically, slamming the stupid alicorn spell book shut, and angrily kicking it underneath a book shelf. She waited to see if he'd start screaming again, but the spirit remained sleeping peacefully like a baby.

"I guess we'll have to try again tomorrow night," Fluttershy said softly, finally giving into her exhaustion and crawling into bed next to the draconequus. She watched as Twilight quietly sauntered her way to her own bed, out before even wriggling under the quilt.

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Twilight wasn't hungry. On the table lay a grand feast of breakfast rolls, cookies, and even her favorite cream buns were oozing their delicious filling into her plate. Yet the unicorn hadn't the desire to pop even a piece of one into her mouth. Darn that Discord – he had completely taken away her appetite. It seemed Rain Drizzle could tell.

"You alright, sweetheart?" her nanny asked softly, nuzzling the back of her head, concern for her child clear in her eyes. It was the same with Celestia.

"Twilight?" the princess asked softly, walking close to her and kneeling slightly down to her student's level. "Are you alright, my student?"

The unicorn held back her tears. She felt sick for practicing black magic, not only behind her mentor's back, but in her own home! She couldn't keep it a secret from her, but she couldn't tell her either. Once again the horrible idea of a punishment in terms of magic kindergarten popped back into her head, almost making the paranoid pony start hyperventilating.

"I-I'm fine – nothing's wrong," Twilight mumbled, rolling her cream bun. She stiffened, feeling Celestia's glare on her, her maternal instincts having kicked in.

"Don't try to pull the 'nothing' card with me, young lady," the royal alicorn said sternly, giving her student a reprimanding nudge from behind. "Now tell me what's wrong."

Twilight knew she needed to think up another fake explanation fast at the speed Fluttershy had last night, but her mind faltered. It was then the unicorn realized she didn't need to make anything up.

"I'm still upset about last night. Everything was going so great, and..." She released her breath as Celestia nodded understandingly, sadly, absently pacing the room.

"Oh, I know, my student. Try to forget about it. It's hard enough trying to help Luna; I don't know if I can cheer you up as well! It was a mistake letting Luna come to dinner with him roaming freely."

The princess settled on her haunches by the windowsill, her ethereal mane rippling in the sunlight pouring through the windows.

"I knew she hadn't seen him in thousands of years, and I knew their reunion wouldn't be a happy one."

Twilight had no comforting words to offer, and therefore only trotted to her teacher's side, wiggling underneath her wing and pressing herself comfortingly against the white mare.

"Where's Luna now, princess?"

"In her room taking a nap. I sent Discord to the greenhouse again, and I hope he can keep himself occupied there for a while – there should be enough to entertain himself with." Her eyes hardened, glazing over with a venom. "I don't want to see his face for some time."

Twilight couldn't exactly disagree with that after last night, and she was honestly surprised the sun alicorn hadn't banished the impish creature from her palace completely. She gazed out the palace window. Deep in the stretching Canterlot gardens, she saw a small and rather run down green house amidst many other lively looking ones. It was no wonder the princess was going to tear it down.

The princess trotted behind her pupil, once again nudging the young unicorn. Twilight turned just to get a breakfast bun stuffed in her mouth. She tried to form a halfhearted glare, but her mentor's eyes only glinted mischievously.

"I believe the whole reason for this get together was to spend some quality time together?" She grinned as her charge's eyes sparkled like a young filly about to tear into her presents on Hearths Warming Eve.

"Come." And the unicorn did, falling into a trot beside her surrogate mother.

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Moss green hooves dug vigorously into the soft dirt, finally reaching their target: the roots.

"If these roots jump up and try to jump at my face like the last row I found, I swear to Celestia I am making YOU cut these ones, Green! Stupid magic...weeds and their stupid teeth.."

Green Hoof snorted, resting on a rafter over one of the green houses and watching his brother work. "Oh come on, Miner – they aren't that bad."

"Easy for you to say, Green," Miner muttered under his breath, igniting his horn and aiming it at the brown roots of the weed. "Stupid thing didn't try to snap off your face.." He yelped, hopping back as the magic weed's yellow teeth nearly sunk into his muzzle.

"OH geez! Here we go!" The young stallion scrambled to his feet, shouting out pleas for help as the weed chased him. His brother only collapsed over the rafters in hysterics; his evergreen hooves all that were seen as he shook with mirth.

There was a loud snap, and the panting stallion managed to slice his weed clippers into the base of the roots; the clippers sliced through the plant like a knife through hot butter, and the weed collapsed, its fierceness diminishing with its life.

"Yeah, I relish the memories of digging in the mines," Miner muttered, crawling against the ground towards his brother. "At least the sapphires and rubies never tried to eat me. How did we go from mines to gardens anyways.."

"At least be thankful Celestia gave us a job when the mine collapsed. Of course, it did help that father was one of her most faithful servants."

Green Hoof glanced over to where his exhausted brother was laying in a puddle of mud. He glanced back to the crumbling greenhouse they were supposed to demolish that day, and he moaned. It was sweltering outside. The last thing either brother wanted to do was help with the demolition and use such an intense amount of magic. They hardly had the energy for that.

Miner moaned as his brother wiggled his tail over his face, and he tried batting it away. "Bug off, I'm trying to rest here.."

"Miner, get up. You know we need to help with the demolition." he growled as his brother kicked away his tail, which swung casually in the air. "I'm tired too, but we just need to get through this, and then we can head off to lunch."

Green Hoof hopped down off the rafters, giving the whining and protesting younger stallion a kick in the flanks. "Come on – Brick Breaker is waiting." He looked back frantically to where his boss was fixing a poker faced look at him.

"Oh, alright.." At last Miner rolled onto his feet, following his older brother, although not without a few annoyed grumbles that Green tried to ignore. The two gardening brothers made their way to the crumbling green house.

"Aren't we supposed to take down this thing tomorrow?" Miner grumbled, getting into position in front of the tattered green tent.

"We were," Brick Breaker said, "but apparently the weather ponies call for a lot of rain tomorrow. I trust neither of us want to clean up this mess in wet grass and mud?" He began igniting his horn, and both agreeing brothers did the same.

"Does the princess know?" Green Hoof asked, as the light from his horn synchronized with the others, beginning to shake the weak, frail foundation of the greenhouse.

"No – I don't think so. We'll tell her later. _Trust me_, she'll be relieved. I know she's been wanting to get rid of this eyesore. Now let's tear this thing down!"

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The surviving flowers lined in pots under the rays of the sun were spitting buttery popcorn pieces out, dispensing it like a machine. Discord caught them in open jaws, sinking his snaggle tooth into the soft morsel.

He had to admit his little playpen had been greatly entertaining, and he thoroughly enjoyed causing chaos without worrying about being reprimanded or punished by anypony. He smirked, laying back on a bag of fertilizer and examining his work. He had done fantastic.

Flowers were spitting popcorn and gumballs, or else the flowers themselves were some kind of carnival treat. A storm of chocolate rain brewed over the shelves of flowers, and Discord had transformed the dirt into Oreo pieces, which he was eagerly pawing his way through and shoveling into his mouth.

He had to at least give Celestia a bit of credit. This was perhaps slightly...kind of the princess, although he hated to admit it. It was nice to have more freedom than he was usually limited to.

It was just too bad he was far too exhausted to enjoy it. The annoyed spirit fell back against his pillow with a small plunk, rubbing at his mismatched eyes. The nightmares from last night were still lingering in his memory and the draconequus wondered why they were suddenly so constant. It was every night now, and they were worse, harder to bear. The faces, the dead eyes, those _damn princesses_- they stayed in his mind, stuck there like a bitter glue he would never be able to remove.

The tired spirit blearily looked up when a board suddenly snapped off the side of the green tent. He tilted an ear, but smirked. Celestia was right – this place _was_ in horrible condition now.

Another board fell, and then another. The smirk fell from the draconequus's face, replaced with panic and a pang of fear when he realized the pile of rubbish was collapsing.

"And I think it's time for this draconequus to make his exit." He went to snap his fingers – nothing happened. The spirit was breathing heavily now. Teleportation spells had been compromised with his limited magic, but not when he was merely trying to flash himself ten feet away.

That _princess!_ She must have put some sort of barrier on the greenhouse so he couldn't use magic to get free!

"Wait!" Discord gasped, fighting desperately to hold up more boards as they fell. "Wait! _Wait!_"

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Twilight lay spread out on her mentor's puffy, circular bed. It was overflowing with different cushions. Her favorite had to be the blazing yellow one with the beads stitched in to form a sun. It wasn't particularly comfortable to lay her head down on, but it was a beauty to look at, as were most of the princess's things.

"I remember when you were seven I caught you jumping on my bed, so sure I couldn't see you." The regal princess grinned, using her magic to run her soft bristled brush through her pastel mane.

"It was the sweetest thing." Celestia laughed at the embarrassed flush spreading across her pupil's face, and she set down the brush, walking next to the bed where the little filly had her face buried into the mattress like an embarrassed teen.

"Care to elaborate on the new spells you were oh-so excited about in the letter you sent me, my dear?" Celestia asked quietly by the unicorn's ear. She barely had time to move away from the dangerous range of the pony's horn as her head shot up in excitement.

"Oh, princess – yes!" Twilight's violet eyes sparkled with excitement, her body fidgeting slightly in happiness, bouncing the mattress as she jabbered on.

"I read a few new books, and I learned a few really good and effective spells for healing cuts and burns." She hopped off the bed, grinning and trotting back to where Celestia was at her vanity.

"Finally, _finally _when somepony gets hurt around here I can do something to help them without having to worry about relying on others!" The grin and bouncing ceased, her head lowering. "Or..making things worse," she whispered.

Instantly, a gentle force brought her chin up to her mentor's stern, violet eyes. Twilight gulped, which was a difficult feat with the golden hoof under her chin. She almost tried to pull away, but would never be stupid enough to do such a thing.

"Now, Twilight, listen to me," Celestia frowned, keeping her child's face held gently in her hoof. "You _cannot_ keep belittling yourself for what happened months ago. I know you learned from it and you will never again attempt black magic."

Twilight nearly burst into tears and childish sobs, wanting so bad to cling to her surrogate mommy and wail that wasn't the case. She had betrayed her mentor last night and she was going to betray her again tonight. The one pony she loved more than anyone...

"Y-yes," was all the trembling unicorn managed to strangle from her throat, Celestia completely misinterpreting her tears.

"I know you're upset Discord won't forgive you," the princess sighed, slipping on the rest of her bands and at last the golden crown, "but forgiveness isn't exactly in his nature..at all. So please don't cry because he's still angry. I'm afraid that's just Discord."

Twilight felt utterly sick, her throat doing desperate swallows to fight the rising bile as she lied to her teacher. "Yes, that's why..I'm crying. I guess it's just hard sometimes."

"It will stay that way, I'm afraid," Celestia sighed, giving her student a gentle nuzzle. She crossed the bed chambers, through the translucent bed curtains, and to her relaxing mat in the corner of the room.

"How about we stop all this depressing talk and get to talking about your studies?" She smiled compassionately at her student, trying to induce the slightest smile. It had no effect on the downcast pony.

The princess pursed her lips, biting down tensely, wondering what else to do. Her eyes roamed the room, settling on the cushion Twilight had been enticed by. Smirking, Celestia enveloped it into a subtle purple hue, raising it ever so slowly, impishly behind her charge.

Twilight heard the rustling of fabric behind her, and she saw the faint shadow of the pillow rising from the wall. Sure enough, the moment she turned, the pillow slammed into her face.

The frazzled unicorn blinked away the dots in her vision, rubbing her face. As she raised her head a mahogany, plush pillow swatted her in the face.

"Hey!" Twilight gasped, wriggling her head out from under the two pillows and staring at her mentor. The look of utter confusion and almost betrayal was almost enough to make the sun princess burst into laughter.

Celestia usually held to the traditional formalities with her student even when she was little. There were many cases where the two broke them; such as after nightmares, punishments, any terrible situation that would bring out the maternal side in the old mare, or simply to loosen up and play.

Like today.

"You want it to stop, Twilight Sparkle?" her mentor grinned; the grin an unnatural, playful and deeply sinister look. "Well then, engage me."

"Prin-" Twilight's protest was interrupted as a pillow was gently stuffed into her mouth. She blinked, the pillow hanging there for a moment as those purple eyes blinked at her teacher curiously. After several seconds they changed into different expressions, finally narrowing, the corners of her mouth turning up into a sly grin.

Celestia gave an indignant shriek as a set of pillows rose from her bed and pelted her like a rain of soft projectiles. The princess fell ungracefully to the floor, but couldn't help laughing as the cushions fell mercilessly on top of her. It was rare she had this much fun with her student.

Twilight's eyes gleamed with playful malice as she rose the last set of cushions off the now naked looking bed, and right in mid-hurl she froze rigid.

Celestia had summoned a fairly large pillow; its weight of feathers and size almost measuring to the alicorn. She seemed to have taken the liberty to summon a stitched pattern on it that cheerfully spelled "I won."

The pillow was thrown, but it was far to heavy and exploding inwardly with feathers – which became outward as it slammed into the bed. Like giant fluffy snowflakes, the room exploded with feathers, decorating the room in white. The two ponies were on their backs and stomachs in giggling hysterics, sounding like two school fillies.

"Oh, Equestria, my room! Rain Drizzle is going to have a fit!" Celestia managed to gasp between peals of laughter, giggling more as Twilight used magic to thrust the feathers at her.

The unicorn flopped onto her back, giving a contended hum and waving her forelegs and back legs up and down in the sea of feathers like a snow angel. She giggled from their softness, turning to look at her mentor, throwing her hooves to her mouth in mirth at Celestia's condition. She looked like a rather large chicken with the feathers covering her.

"Pr-Prin-ce-he-he-hess!" Twilight fell into a point of complete hysterics, tears seeping from her eyes, unsure why she found this to be _that_ funny! Perhaps it just felt so good to laugh and not have her mind on everything. She was completely at ease and content right now. Celestia seemed to be the same.

Yet fate had the cruelest of ways to abruptly end that, and shatter the happiness and laughter.

Celestia stood, trying to shake the feathers off, and to no avail. More than half still clung to her, especially into her flowing mane. She shook her head vigorously, laughing, but the feathers stayed clung like stubborn little burrs.

"Good luck getting them off," Twilight giggled, spluttering out guffaws when Celestia flashed her a playful glare.

The regal princess rolled her eyes, giving a small contented smile as she threw open the window, sticking her head out enough to let the breeze gently caress her fur, lift the soft feathers from her body. She watched as most of them fluttered carelessly into the wind.

Something compelled the princess to glance down at the gardens. When she did, everything around her seemed to shatter. Twilight's now concerned tone drowned out in a steady ringing in her ears.

The sun alicorn was seeing nothing but the wreckage on the ground. She didn't hear Twilight's shout for her to come back as she dove out the window, spreading her wings. All Celestia heard was her pounding heart.

Her hooves slammed into the ground, and she took the sight before her in stunned silence. The greenhouse was there, a crumbled mess like she had asked for. Boards were everywhere, as were shattered pots and glass. In the tangled colors of green the princess saw a single tuft of white fuzz from his tail.

All at once, Celestia sent a deep, booming wave of energy around her, causing a magical wind to send the crowding demolition ponies flying back into the mud in shock and confusion as their horrified princess scrambled to the wreckage.

"Discord!" The alicorn fell to the ground, magic engulfing boards and glass, and ripping them off, throwing them into the gardens, destroying it, even managing to kill a row of magic weeds. Celestia didn't care – not in the slightest. She just needed to _get to him_-

The gray head flopped into the dirt as it was freed from a board. Crimson blood matted into his fur, dripping down his face and neck from where the glass had sliced into his body. His eyes were shut, ears limp to the sides of his face. No – they were _pinned to the ground by glass._

The demolition ponies all exchanged horrified gasps when they saw the limp, twisted and bleeding face draped over their princess's lap. They could tell even from a distance that he wasn't breathing.

"No, no, no, no!" Celestia gasped urgently, raggedly, jerking his face to her, holding it so tightly he'd probably whine in pain if he was conscious. "Discord? Stay with me! No-no.."

It was all _her_ fault.

"I-I need medics," the princess muttered, her voice giving off to incoherent rambles and gibberish for a few minutes, before it settled back in full, loud, coherency. "I need medics!"

The demolition and gardening ponies shot each other helpless looks, frozen stiff there in the mud for a moment, only looking on to the horror in front of them.

"I need MEDICS!" Celestia yelled, effectively breaking the stallions from their trances as they scrambled throughout the mud, finally jumping to their feet and galloping to the palace, shouting to the servants. Celestia's shouts rang louder than any other pony as she screamed after them.

"GO! GO! _GO! __**GO!**_"

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_(__Fastest update ever. XD I guess it's because it's not very long. It was supposed to stretch on far longer than ten pages, but I realized that it would reach about twenty three? XD The next part stands alone as a chapter._

_Yes, and I do believe Canterlot gardens have magic snapping weeds. Why? Because it's funny._

_Don't expect the next chapter until after exams on Wednesday, but I already have it all planned out and a large portion of it written so it will be soon.)_


	9. Chapter 9

_The marble walls inside the palace were different, newer, in better condition. There were hardly any stained glass windows, signifying history hadn't even begun yet. Light still continued to pour through the open windows, Aegeus's sun pouring its rays throughout the lonely palace hall. All was silent. All was calm._

_Suddenly, the multi colored, multi beast baby scampered down the halls on all fours, his tiny little horns mere nubs sticking out of his head, his felt like ears lopsided from having slept on them all night. His wide red eyes sparkled mischievously, a giggle escaping his lips as an angry voice shouted out promises of time outs and spankings in his general direction._

_"No! I don't wanna be clean!" the five year old draconequus shouted, grinning when he realized he was managing to outrun his caretaker. The baby took a hop into the air, fluttering his puny, still developing wings._

_Of course a child at that age couldn't quite grasp the concept of weight yet and thus the baby's weak little wings couldn't carry his tubby body very fast. He went tumbling through the air, crashing into the long red rug with a sniffle._

_The sudden poker faced king of the sun appeared before him, his fire mane crackling angrily as he glared down at his adopted son. Any desire to punish the miscreant faded as the tiny creature tried 'the face', while handing his father a small green lollipop._

_Aegeus wasn't able to hold back the pesky grin as he shook his head, picking the baby up by the scruff and trotting towards the elderly mare with a stern, admonishing frown over her wrinkled muzzle. Right when she was about to take the youngling into her own mouth, Discord wriggled free of the King's grasp and scurried back down the hall in giggles._

_Hearing the angry clopping of two pairs of hooves on the tile ground, the baby picked up his pace, scampering down another corridor, until finally hearing the familiar sounds of his friends as they sat in their own tub of soapy water._

_Astraia barely had the chance to shriek out in surprise as the infant spirit took a flying leap, landing in the large porcelain tub with a thundering splash, nearly flattening two frightened fillies._

_"Dissy, the water is everywhere now!" a small white filly scolded as she poked her head out from the bubbles, wagging a scolding hoof at her younger friend. She gasped dramatically, pressing her hooves to her face when Discord blew a childish raspberry at her with his tiny serpentine tongue._

_"Mama!"_

_"I saw," Astraia sighed, her black, star covered mane dipping into the water as she bent to get a sponge. She tried to ignore Discord's bouts of disobedience; he was still a baby - it didn't necessarily mean the elders were correct. Of course he wasn't the incarnation o_f demons._  
><em>_  
><em>Crystal Pendulum simply reads too many mythology books_, Astraia thought with an eye roll, turning away from the tub, far too lost in her pondering to hear her daughter's squeals of surprise._

_"Mama, the water is brown!" Celestia gasped, wading to the side of the tub and staring at the brown water Discord was currently blowing bubbles in. The blue newborn foal beside her sniffed at it and took a ginger lick._

_Astraia took a deep, cleansing breath as she readied a large towel to scoop up her kids. "Now, Discord, hunny? We've been over this; the bath tub is not where a young colt does his business. We use the lavatory for - ...Is this chocolate milk?"_

_"What?" Aegeus deadpanned, reluctantly making his way over from where he had been watching the show in the sidelines, letting his wife deal with the kids. He swiped a hoof through the creamy brown mixture and licked it. Face dropping to a flat look, he nodded, speaking out of a crack in the corner of his mouth._

_"Yep."_

_"Hey – hey, Tia, look!" Discord spread his arms up high over his head, wiggling his kitten claw and talon menacingly. "Blargh, I am the chocolate milk monster! I am going to eat you, because – because-" He pursed his lips, pondering for a reason._

_"Because you taste chocolatey – RAWR!" He leaped on Celestia with a large, wet splash, drenching his guardians as he climbed on and gnawed the squealing princess's ears with his milky white teeth._

_Aegeus and Astraia could only exchange helpless looks, evidently trying not to see the kid beast as what he was meant to be and think of the inevitable. The King and Queen only settled by the tub, watching the children roughhouse in the thick brown cream as the bathhouse rang out with the warm sounds of their gentle laughter._

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The resonating sounds of nostalgia from from the most cherished fragment of his childhood dissipated into the air, replaced by the steady, repeated mumbles of "stay with me", and the nearly choked "don't die." Discord tried to weakly open his eyes a splint, but he saw a quick, wet flash of red and only felt a blinding pain upon doing so.

His head was black and foggy, and he felt his lungs desperately try to take a swoop of air they couldn't reach. He was just about to go when the breath was suddenly forced down his throat, in a gentle, cool pulse, entwining with his lungs and bringing them to life.

She was so gentle; it was as if a mere rose petal had innocently drifted from above and delicately landed on his lips. Discord disregarded the agony, pushing it from his thoughts as he attempted to draw her in.

Just like that, her mouth was wretched from his, leaving only the ghost of her lips and tearing away what was, at the moment, his source of comfort.

"I-I got him breathing!" The princess's thin frame was shuddering with a barrage of mixed emotions, her hoof at her lips, still feeling the touch of his soft lips against her own. She shook it off, numbly assisting the doctors that had come running out, and helping to lift the motionless creature onto the stretcher.

"Keep him awake!" an infirmary stallion's voice gruffly ordered, turning back to glance at the princess and spirit as he galloped with his team. "Keep talking to him!"

Celestia was thunderstruck, and baffled on what to do. Talking to the creature made her feel utterly sick, but doing it under these circumstances, for the sake of keeping him conscious and alive was simply terrifying. None the less, the princess mumbled out shaky whispers, that grew louder and more confident as she spoke.

Discord heard the heavy bang of the steel doors and felt him being laid on something cotton and soft. The comfort went away abruptly as he felt rapid, quick stings on his twitching eyelids, and he gurgled out a moan as they extracted the glass from the sensitive skin.

With the shards removed his eyes could open freely, and they slowly focused on the bright flash of silver hovering in a cloud of magic. Beside himself, the spirit's claws latched deep into the cotton and he felt his body trying to bolt up, but firm, stern white hooves held his desperately wriggling form down.

The poker hot pain weaved in and out of his wounds like fire all over his torn up body. Discord's locked in screams gradually became voiced in an anguished wail as the needles worked to mend up his mutilated skin. Tears seeped through his shut eyes, and everything faded to a warm gray.

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_His crimson mane flared in stress, its embers crackling, forming a synchronized melody with the gentle patter of the brown rain. Aegeus flinched fiercely as a streak of pink lighting brightened the skies and sent the garden ponies running for shelter, screaming in fear. The blanket of pink cotton candy in the sky only reached past the castle, but its power was severe._

_"You can't keep doing this, Discord." Aegeus hadn't turned to his adopted son yet, but he heard the quiet whisper chanting a mantra of words, and the brewing storm of milk over the castle roof came down in a steady, thundering pound. When the stallion finally mustered the courage to turn to the draconequus he reared in fury._

_Discord's twisted grin of pleasure was ripped away with the book hovering in his golden sphere of magic. The draconequus flared his mane, snarling and turning to his father. "Hey!"_

_"Alicorn's Power," Aegeus read the title in awe, his eyes frozen to the image of a black shadow illustrated on the cover with blood red eyes. "I thought we managed to lock this away in a seal!" He turned to glare at his estranged son, who was leering all the more balefully at him. "A seal you couldn't break!"_

_"Oho, Dad, please," Discord snorted, settling his muzzle in the palm of his paw and smirking widely at his father's ridiculous assumption. "There is no seal of yours that I can't break. I figured you were intelligent enough to see that by this point."_

_Aegeus stomped his hoof in warning, giving the draconequus "the look", and one that would usually have Discord cowering and covering his rump with a submissive look on his face, but not this time. The spirit met that glare with one of his own, far more menacing._

_"You really think that will work on me?" Discord laughed, floating up over the throne, and attempting to draw the spell book to him with a tendril of golden magic. Aegeus caught onto this and strengthened his vice grip on it with his own._

_"Maybe rendering you unable to sit for a week or so will," his father threatened darkly, angrily snapping the magic force field back, glaring fiercely at the malicious creature. All that met that was an amused gaze, followed by a howl of laughter as Discord collapsed onto the ground._

_The smoldering mane burned all the brighter with the heightened rage of the king, and he contemplated flipping the impudent brat over his knee then and there, but he calmed his nerves with a quiet, deep breath, attempting a different tactic._

_"This," Aegeus's voice gruffly boomed, gesturing to the madness at hand, "is not what we as the keepers of Equestria stand for. We maintain the balance and order of this land, we do not destroy it, son."_

_From where Discord had his body hung over the arms of his father's golden throne, he smirked, putting a pointed claw of his talon half way in his mouth and making a gagging face. "Come now, Dad, enough with the cliche – order is not for me. If_ I _had the throne-"_

_"If you had the throne you would only plunge this land into madness! Your views are deluded, Discord! You do not use your powers the way you should!"_

_"Because it's so boring. Why would I use such an amazing ability to maintain balance when it's so much more fun to destroy it~? What harm is there in twisting the laws of physics and laws of..everything, really?" He smirked, rolling his body up enough to focus gleaming red eyes on the stallion's blazing orange ones. "I'm far more fit to rule next then Tia or Lulu.."_

_The stallion gritted his teeth, like he had done so often with this impudent brat. It was a wonder he hadn't chipped any yet, though he probably ended up destroying some enamel. "We have been over this, Discord. Celestia and Luna are next in line and the ONLY in line, because-"_

_"Because I'm not your real son," Discord said venomously, narrowing his eyes hatefully, "and apparently two prissy, perfect, sensitive little angels are more suited for future rulers than I am. At least I won't douse the land in lip gloss..."_

_The king heavily rolled his eyes, approaching his estranged son and fixing him with a deadpan look. "That is not what they are going to do. They're also next in line because-"_

_"Yes, I get it!" Discord suddenly snapped, the golden coating on his mismatched hands flaring with yellow flames. "They have better visions than I do and know how to run this kingdom, and they're just so damn _perfect _that you fuc-" He was cut off, yelping as he received a harsh slap across the muzzle from the enraged stallion._

_The posture of the spirit became far more childish, a very low growl vibrating his throat, and an angry glisten in his eyes as the stallion left him without another word. Discord straightened himself, palms so hot now the crackling fire threatened to burn his skin. He extinguished it, also using the back of his paw to wipe his eyes as he sunk into his father's throne, letting one single tear sizzling with his anger drip onto his dimly lit paw._

_"I'm not fit for the throne, father?" the draconequus murmured, using one talon to easily summon another spell book, while his feline paw remained clutching to his tender, crimson marked muzzle. "I'm not strong enough?"_

_He smiled, letting his eyes roam over the pages of the book, chuckling madly as he found the spell he was looking for: the magic debilitating spell. "I am far stronger than you can ever hope to be.."_

_He clasped his paw and talon together, watching the colossal orb of gold engulf his hands, stream from his being and collect in what would be the most fatal spell he would ever cast. The room darkened as if every source of light was ripped from it, instead collecting into the deadly spell._

_"And I'll remind you all of that~"_

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"Fluttershy, please calm down," Twilight murmured, desperation easily detectable in her tone as she tried to calm the hysterical pony's whimpering cries, and soothe the terrified trembles with a few hugs. It hardly did anything. "He'll be alright! The best doctors in Equestria are working on him, trust me, he'll be alright."

"I have to see him," the pegasus whispered determinedly, and she was already advancing towards the hospital door. Twilight was about to reach out a hoof to stop her, but a firm doctor's beat her to it.

"Not right now you can't," the doctor said quietly, pulling the distraught pony back from the door and gently un-clinging her from the frame. "He should be alright.. We had quite a lot of glass to take out, and he'll be in a couple casts..but he should be fine."

The doctor's slightly red stained hoof pulled the door back a bit, revealing the restless spirit sleeping on his back. "He's sleeping now though. You may come back to see him in the morning."

The girls watched as the doctor calmly trotted off with a hovered clip board in a bubble of magic at his side. The stallion disappeared down the dark corridors, into total blackness as he retreated back to the out patients.

"I didn't even realize how long we've been waiting," Twilight mused softly, watching as Luna's elegant silhouette could be seen from the balcony, the tendrils of blue, star dust magic swirling around her horn as the luminous orb rose into the sky to start the night. "It must have been hours now.."

There was no response except for the heavy clank as the metal door behind her shut, and no sight of the pony except for the dusty pink tail as it slipped through the door. Twilight heaved an exasperated, moaning growl as she slipped through Discord's door.

"Fluttershy! Oh, are you ever going to listen to the doctors?" Twilight sighed, wriggling in through the open crack and over to the spirit's bed. She was taken aback by his condition. Between the blood seeping through a few need-to-be-changed bandages, the casts, and his all in all injured form he looked awful.

"Sweet Celestia," Twilight breathed, wincing as she came closer and saw a few evidently sewn ladder stitch patterns in his flesh. "Guess the princess's green house idea wasn't really a success."

The saffron pegasus wept into the spirit's uninjured side, nuzzling into the warm fur and pressing her cheek against the side of his face. "Oh, the poor, _poor_ little baby!" she sniffed, prompting Twilight to mumble a "little? Baby?" to herself.

"Fluttershy, I know you're upset.." Twilight needed to be careful with her words as she tried to gently drag the pony away. "The doctors _know_ what they're doing though. They can help him better than we can, trust me."

With gentle tugs on the pony's hooves and tail, Fluttershy finally began to reluctantly back away from the bed, before finally turning hoof and following her friend from the room, her head low. It was then the spirit gave a sudden abrupt, rasped scream as the usual demons of his subconsciousness began to haunt him once more.

Twilight shook her head when Fluttershy shot her a desperate, tearful look. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." She glared in silent fury at the distressed chimera. Why now? Why of all times _now _in a hospital room did he start having these stupid nightmares? It wasn't as if the unicorn had fabricated a believable excuse to prolong her spell any longer. Plus, this dumb spirit was completely knocked out from his medicine. He would not wake up.

_Stupid, stupid, STUPID Discord_, Twilight thought angrily, mentally stamping her hoof and narrowing her eyes at the troubled creature. Fluttershy was already waiting patiently by his bed, giving his limp paw a nuzzle now and then.

"I guess this is it then," Twilight murmured, muting the room with a spell so the doctors wouldn't hear Discord's screams or any noise the spell might make. She took her position beside Discord's head, closed her eyes, and let her horn glow.

The wind erupted from her horn with a loud roar, rippling Discord's blankets to the point Fluttershy tried to push them against his body to keep them from flying off. The curtains rippled fiercely, flapping against the wall with a dull thud as the room was filled with a vibrant purple light.

The light traveled its way up Discord's calming, gradually stilling body, engulfing his entire form. Fluttershy fought to grip onto the bed rails, but unconsciousness's fingers pulled her hooves off, and her and Twilight landed with a thud to the hard ground.

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_They appeared on the plush, long stretching royal red carpet, the dingy white hospital walls banishing from their sight. The windows were substantially newer, not yet dusty. The walls were plain, save for a few paintings. There were no stained glass windows._

_In the dim, blurred dream cloud, Fluttershy noted a tiny, fuzzy little form sauntering his way through the palace corridors, looking bewildered and confused. His ruby red eyes quivered childishly, glistening with shiny tears that made the hearts of anyone that looked at him crumble._

_The young entity of chaos looked only to be around five or six, the nubs of horns barely peeking out of the fluffy gray fur as he fell onto his rump in the middle of the carpet, the brimming tears beginning to spill over and making Twilight hold Fluttershy back to keep her from running to the baby._

_The tot raised into the air, his chubby and jiggling belly making his wings struggle to flap and carry him off into through the room. There was a look of determination set over the tiny muzzle, both to fly and both to find whatever he'd been searching for._

_Nearing the end of one of the twisting corridors, Discord descended to the ground, landing on all fours and continuing his endless trek. His kitten paw pads and chick talons padded softly down the tile floors, further through the darkness. He had never been to this part of the palace before._

_Distant murmurs drifted to his droopy little ears, perking them in curiosity as the baby spirit's walk turned to a scurry to find the source of the sounds. The youngling entity skid to a stop before one of the servants' doors, barely peeking his wide, curious eyes in._

_"I question Aegeus and Astraia's judgement for taking in that_

_thing. What do they expect to do with the spirit of discord? Nurture it, teach it to love and rule this land in as much prosperity as they did?" a servant exclaimed angrily. "If I was a ruler of Equestria-"_

_"Don't go speaking treason of our King and Queen!" another servant hissed, a small explosion of light igniting from her horn as she engulfed it around a pillow, pounding it to rid it of dust._

_"You know our majesties," another servant mumbled, "pure hearted – it wasn't like they could leave the kid to die out there, even though that's what the seer told them to do..drown it." No one heard the squeaking gasp from around the door._

_"I heard their royal adviser is raising him, and that he's betrothed to Princess Celestia. I sometimes see them playing outside, but most of the time he's in the library with the adviser."_

_"Their quarters are in the library?" A blue unicorn servant plopped onto her newly made cot, staring up at the other ones inquisitively. "Why don't they live closer to the princesses?"_

_"For the most part, the old mare reads to him day by day, night after night. I think she's trying to cement the focus of harmony in his head, since he's supposedly, ya know, the exact opposite.. The nights I don't see him through the library window he's in King Aegeus and Astraia's care, sometimes_

_sleeping in the same room of the princesses."_

_Another servant snorted. "Yeah – I saw him in the library once. He turned one of the adviser's books into a bushel of oranges. She wasn't too pleased of that."_

_"Well, she can't stop him from what he's destined to be, and what he's..destined to do."_

_Discord finally drew back from the doorway, trotting his way back into the hall, confusion etched across his face. Their words and the meanings of them were lost on his five year old mindset, and any attempt at trying to decipher them was interrupted by the sudden angry shout._

_"Discord!"_

_"Hi Nanny-" The child yelped as the mare gave him a swat across the rear with her hoof, invoking a sniffling cry as the elderly mare glared down at him._

_"Where in Equestria have you been? Do you realize how long I've been searching for you?" The child cowered under the grate of his nanny's shouts, lowering his eyes and rubbing at his sore rump with a paw. She picked him up by the scruff, trotting down the palace corridors._

_"I was looking for Tia and Lulu," Discord mumbled, watching the scenery as it went by him. His eyes finally spotted the distant figures of the princesses out in the courtyard, gathered underneath a tree as their father read to them from books. Discord briefly considered trying a spell at turning the book into a pineapple._

_"The princesses are busy with their lessons right now, dear, and you are late for yours," Honey Dew told him, tossing the baby belly down onto her back as she kept walking. "You know all three of you need to attend to your studies every day."_

_"What are their studies?" the baby inquired, gnawing absently on the mare's folded back, gray ear. "Do they learn about harmony and stuff as well?" He kept his eyes plastered on the princessses' forms, wishing so bad he could go out and join the two._

_"No. Well, maybe.. For the most part the princesses learn how to run the land, and they practice on how to raise and lower the sun and moon. They're basically taught all there is to know about ruling Equestria."_

_"Maybe I could help them," Discord piped, unintentionally causing chills to rise up Honey Dew's spine, and make her skin tremor underneath her fur coat. The mare tried to disguise how uncomfortable his innocent suggestion had made her, and she smirked, nuzzling the bottoms of his feet and electing a squeal._

_"First, you need to attend to your own lessons before you consider.." She tried not to let the smile waver off her face, "..helping them." After all, he didn't realize. For all the youngling spirit knew he just had a great amount of magical power with the capabilities to do anything._

_Anything..._

_The two continued the trek down the sunset lit halls, disappearing around a corridor and out of the sight of the two ponies, who, unbeknownst to them, had been watching the entire time._

_Fluttershy and Twilight exchanged searching looks of confusion, the servants' conversations cemented in their minds. 'Drown him' would forever haunt Fluttershy, and Twilight could already tell that the pegasus badly wanted to get back to the hospital room, probably to make sure he was still alive._

_Twilight gazed up at her horn that was still pulsing with a purple magic, and she briefly considered casting an escape spell. What would that do though? Other than getting a glimpse of the spirit's childhood and finding out that the castle inhabitants wanted to_ drown _him, they had accomplished nothing. No source of nightmares, nothing._

_Yet it seemed answers were to come a lot sooner than either realized, as the floor beneath them began to twist into a distort of colors. Fluttershy panicked briefly, but the unicorn reassured her she could not be hurt in the dream._

_The canvas of multi colors continued to twist in the air around the two ponies; the throne room fading out, being replaced with luscious grass underneath both girls' hooves; the white, shining ceiling tiles and chandeliers now an azure blue sky._

_Celestia and Discord looked to be young adolescents, while Luna still seemed to be a filly. Celestia's long, pink mane trailed after her as she galloped through Canterlot's gardens, chasing the madly laughing draconequus, cheeks puffed out in rage._

_"Discord, when I get my hooves on you!" It was then the two, startled dream visitors noticed the princess's coat...was a pale shade of green._

_"Oh come now, it isn't MY fault you used the wrong shampoo this morning!" Discord shouted back, laughing as the moss green mare tackled him into the grass, shrieking as her cotton candy tail assaulted his belly. He fought against her hold, wrestling with the young alicorn there in the grass._

_"Do it now, Luna! Douse him in water!" Celestia shouted back to her younger sister, who stared at them both in confusion, igniting her horn in a soft blue glow. Celestia waved frantically for her to do the spell while she still had the kid beast pinned down._

_"Come on, I showed you how, remember?" Briefly, the princess made the fatal mistake of letting go of the spirit's legs, and Luna barely had time to scramble back before her sister hit the dirt in the spot she had been in. Discord sat on her legs, driving his feline paw in through the pastel mane and fiercely messing it as Celestia laughed and protested._

_"That's foul play!" the teenaged girl squealed, pounding her hooves into the dirt and laughing. "It's foul play, Discord, ya big BULLY!"_

_"Foul – oh please, you two were just_ asking _for – YAH!" Discord gave a gargled scream as a a sudden downpour of water sloshed from a glowing cloud above him, instantly making the young draconequus tumble off his best friend and fall into the soft grass._

_"Hey, Celestia, I did-" Luna gave a squeak of surprise as Discord retaliated with a downpour of chocolate milk, soaking her azure mane and dying it brown. She spluttered, coughing out droplets of the liquid and wiping it from her eyes._

_"All is fair in love and waaar~!" Discord sang cheerfully, about to summon a giant marshmallow when he was suddenly slammed into the grass, pinned by two mossy hooves. "Tia-!"_

_"All is fair in love and war," the princess muttered with a smirk, the most vengeful grin on her face. The moment Discord braced himself for an attack, her tongue lapped affectionately over his cheek. The love bitten teen's tongue lolled out as his head fell back against the grass in pure bliss as the girls giggled._

_"Are you sure you should be making marital plans already, your majesties?" an elderly, wrinkled mare asked softly, concern well upon her face as she observed the children at play in the gardens._

_"Already?" Aegeus chuckled softly, his crackling mane blazing in the sunlight as he took a step back from the shadows of the tree. "We've made marital plans for Celestia and Discord ever since the two were toddlers! It's important they start spending more time together."_

_"With all due respect, your majesty," Honey Dew hastily said, "you betrothed the face of harmony with the face of chaos. I do not feel that is very beneficial for the kingdom." She sighed, a gentle smile falling on the wrinkled face. "Despite how much the two love each other and how they are..inseparable."_

_The king was un-wavered from his standing decision, as he had been a decade ago when first introducing the three year old entity and the five year old princess. "One side of a coin cannot exist without the other, Honey," he said sagely, already beginning a dignified trot to the palace._

_"Besides, Discord has been under your wing his entire life, and he's been under your teachings. I'm sure you've steered him well enough._

_Now, see to it that Discord is fed dinner and – as always – his lessons. How are they coming along, Honey? Try teaching him about the Elements and how they balance Equestria. Or, have you already?"_

_The mare bit down on her lip, concealing the truth of just how well Discord's lessons had gone, and how he totally never transformed most of her books into candy and soft drinks. Oh no, not at all._

_"They're going wonderfully, your highness," Honey Dew muttered, keeping her head low so her King wouldn't see the lies in her pained, hazel eyes. "I'm certain we needn't any longer fear for the safety of our Kingdom, and perhaps you are right and Discord and Celestia will be.." A thin smile came to her lips. "A match made in heaven."_

_"Indeed they are." The king cast a final, gentle look to his eldest daughter and surrogate son, sauntering his way back into the palace, his robes following behind him._

_Twilight and Fluttershy shut their eyes tightly to try and stand against the sudden overpowering dizziness as the colors around them tangled once more; the canvas of blue melting into darkness. The two girls began to cough and gag as a sudden smoky odor assaulted their noses, burning their air passages as the smoke attacked them._

_When the two finally opened their eyes they saw nothing but blackness, and they heard only the demonic chanting of a mantra of words. The two were still coughing, suddenly feeling the stinging vapor around them. Twilight latched her mouth around Fluttershy's wing, yanking them both out of the black cloud. So much for coming to no harm in the dream._

_The room held a sense of darkness and evil. Twilight instantly recognized the black hazy cloud over the King and Queen's bed as black magic, and she started to pull the confused pegasus back with her, backing up to the entrance of the door and regarding it cautiously. Someone had cast black magic on the King and Queen._

_A golden talon, illuminated by the silver moonlight, reached through the thin veil of black mist and extracted Aegeus's crown off the nightstand, chortling in amusement as he twirled it around on his arm like a hula-hoop._

_"You know father, I remember you always used to reprimand me on touching your precious crown, because you were afraid I'd break it." A sneer twisted up over the gray muzzle as Discord lashed forward with playful venom, dangling the crown in front of Aegeus's sleeping face._

_"I'm touching your crown, I'm touching your crown! Na-na-na-na-boo-booo!" Discord's paw flew to his mouth to stifle the giggles, before he collapsed onto his back in mirth. "Ohoho, why am I trying to be quiet?" He snickered, floating back up into the air, through the black cloud._

_A talon coated itself in a yellow hue, sifting through the pages of the book that was forever burned into Twilight's mind: "Alicorn's Power."_

_The unicorn's vibrant lavender coat was drained to a pale white, her knees buckling, frozen eyes locked on that book._ That horrible book.

_"Step one, put into a deep sleep," Discord murmured, reviewing the text. A mismatched red eye slowly glanced over at the two suspiciously, and both girls suppressed their squeals of surprise as the draconequus whipped out a pair of symbols, bashing them over the still alicorns' heads. Every painting, every tile trembled from the deafening clang, but the King and Queen made no movement._

_"Fabulous," Discord laughed, returning to his book. "Final step – dear me, this is a short spell – magic is disabled. Ha! When they wake up they'll be as weak and helpless as infants!" A sickening cackle sounded from his throat as he descended, landing gently on the bed._

_"Too weak to handle these spells, Aegeus? I think not." He snorted, adding an afterthought. "I'd love to see you attempt to raise that switch over me though. Now that would be a sight." A nervous look came to his face. "Of course, the spell doesn't hinder your physical state, so I better keep my mouth shut," he shuddered, cringing at the thought of receiving a spanking from his surrogate father. Ha, that was if the King could even function without using his magic._

_The spirit slunk his serpentine body off the bed, pressing himself against the door, and regarding the sleeping faces with satisfaction, twirling the crown up to his finger tips and catching it in the palm of his hand, curling his sharp claws around it._

_"Not to worry, _Mother, Father_," the spirit hissed icily, spitting the words with disdain. "I'll take wonderful care of Celestia and Luna." The black fire in his eyes faded, replaced with the last gentle, solemn and promising look that the world would see from the entity in thousands of years._

_"You know I would never see true harm come to any of you." And he left, his robe spilling onto the floor behind him as he made his way back to the throne room. Unaccustomed to the foreign, older hallways, Twilight and Fluttershy hurriedly followed after him on trembling limbs._

_A sudden darkness followed their every step, engulfing the twisting corridors in a sea of black, darkening everything, extinguishing candles. Panicking, the two ponies increased their speed, but the back of the cantering spirit also disappeared in blackness._

_The girls gripped onto each other for security, trying to adjust their eyes in the total blackness. Twilight's legs froze to the ground in fear, but she fought will her will power to keep from summoning a spell to illuminate the darkness. Any attempt at another form of magic would compromise the spell. Besides, Discord wouldn't just continue to dream of a dark void._

_A soft melodic wail of anguish began to drift through the air, somewhere from the blackness. The girls gripped at each other, feeling tears stain their coats at the sheer heartbreak in the very distinguishable cries._

_"Discord," Fluttershy sobbed, clinging to the lavender forelimb offered to her and drenching it in tears. Twilight's hoof gently rubbed at her back, asking her if she was ready to leave, and earning only a hostile "no" in return._

_The girls braced themselves for the gruesome scene they were sure would meet their eyes, but nothing could have possibly prepared the two for what they saw. A single ember cut through the blackness, and it was quickly followed by more lit candles. Twilight and Fluttershy choked back the tears as the scene unfolded._

_An infirmary pony gently draped a silk, white sheet over the lifeless bodies laying in the bed, eyebrows furrowed in grief and frustration as he and the other group of ponies mourned the loss of their King and Queen. Any attempt to wrench back the undesired tears was shot when Twilight's eyes lay on the young alicorn by their parents' bedside._

_Tears slipped down the ivory and blue faces, soaking into the white sheets as the bewildered princesses looked on with a mask of horror and anguish. And above all, shock. Luna's breathing, the girls could tell, came out in sharp inhaled pants as she harshly sobbed. Yet, even as the rest of the room joined in on the synchronized sobs, even as the scene once more faded to black, all the girls heard were the haunting, rasped sobs from a certain draconequus somewhere off in the distance._

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And it was over. The light from Twilight's horn slowly extinguished, the rippling wind ceasing to nothing, making everything fall back into place. The two ponies could only stand there, millions of thoughts twisting in emotional turmoil.

Twilight could already tell Fluttershy was about to scream, and her hoof clamped fiercely over the saffron muzzle as the pegasus muffled her cries of anguish into her and drenched the lavender hoof with glistening tears.

"We need to get out of here." Twilight wasn't even sure if she spoke the words, her ears ringing. She still felt the sting of the black mist, and she still saw their lifeless faces. It was clear Fluttershy was going through a similar situation.

The unicorn fought to blink and suppress the deceased alicorns, the glint of malice in those red eyes, the chanting of the spell that ended their lives, and above all, Discord's haunting anguished cries – as she and Fluttershy promptly stumbled from the room, slamming the silver metal door behind them, leaving the spirit to his restless, memory plagued slumber.

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_(Yep. Pretty much just flashbacks here and snippets of Discord's past. Not to worry, there are maaany more to come._

_Next chapter? Twilight and Fluttershy confront Discord on the deaths of King Aegeus and Queen Astraia. I hope you're all prepared for it~_

_Their back stories have been altered slightly, and even though Discord was taken in by the King and Queen, he was mostly raised by Honey Dew, nanny to the kids and the second mother to Discord._

_Enjoy. Let me know of any errors, although I checked it thoroughly.)_


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a month now. A month since the two ponies learned the shocking truth about the spirit living in their world, a month since the shattered bones and lacerations. Yes, the slices on the spirit's limbs, the shattered bones, and the _physical _pain was repaired...

...But emotions couldn't possibly be anymore shattered, possibly unrepairable.

After being released from the clutches of Discord's nightmare, the two young ponies had been lost, bewildered, frightened, horrified; far too many emotions, every one of them feeling as if it was destroying them. The hardest task probably had to be curbing the newly bloomed fear of the spirit; the one that had killed the King and Queen. They couldn't look conspicuous, but Discord wasn't stupid and caught on that something was up every time Fluttershy stayed at least two feet away from his cot rather than smother him with snuggles.

Celestia had come to see him, but every time Discord heard the clopping of the royal slippers he feigned sleep, and the _ever considerate _princess wouldn't ever wake a sleeping, sick creature. He didn't wish to see the princess; for all he knew she had probably set up that 'accident.' Yet, when he thought that, the velvet lips against his to keep him alive flashed in his mind.

Finally released from the hospital, not having to worry about fabricating a lie to keep from seeing Celestia, the spirit left with the girls. They seemed quieter than usual. He knew Twilight didn't particularly like him, but this was still odd behavior.

Reaching Ponyville, Fluttershy finally spoke. "I..I have to do some shopping today, and the doctors have advised you start exercising now," she told her companion, who was currently juggling clouds. "I'm going to leave you at Sweet Apple Acres while I'm gone."

An indignant snort sounded from the throat as the mismatched creature shook his coat, pursing his lips. The last thing he wanted was to spend any time with the little hill billy. His eyebrows faltered over his eyes, one raised as he smirked. Of course, other than expanding the size of apples he hadn't really tried chaos out on a farm. This could be fun~

Twilight parted ways with the two of them in town, trotting back to her library as both pegasus and draconequus reached the gates to the placid, homely little farm. Applejack was already there, smiling at Fluttershy, scowling at Discord.

"Mornin' Fluttershy!" Applejack greeted, barely mumbling a dull hello to the spirit by her side. "Ah see yer here early, hm?" She glared as Discord coldly brushed by her and settled into a soft pile of hay.

"Thank you so much for agreeing to look after him, Applejack," Fluttershy expressed gratefully, nuzzling the southern pony's face with her own. "I hope he won't be too much trouble for you. You can let me know if he is..."

A small chill rode down the butter colored spine as she approached her companion, hiding her face behind rosette locks of hair. He glanced at her inquisitively and she forced herself to relax. This was stupid. She shouldn't be afraid of him. She had been with the creature for almost a year already! Gently, Fluttershy nuzzled his face, heart feeling lighter even though he batted her away.

"You be good," she warned him, giving him a light poke to the belly and smiling as he covered it with a twitching smirk. She missed those days... "I'll be back soon." Giving the creature a final nuzzle, she turned to bid a good-bye to her friend and issued a final warning with a scolding, wagging hoof that Discord, of course, only ignored.

The draconequus sat there in the straw and sticks, chewing on a strand of hay and twirling it on his tongue as he eagerly conspired of all his wonderful, chaotic ploys to launch on this dreary, tacky little farm. Soccer balls instead of apples perhaps. Or maybe some tennis balls? Oh, or grape fruits – really throw them off! Turn the fluffy white ducks to rubber? The pond to soap?

"Discord."

With an insufferable sigh, the multi beast turned to the southern earth pony with a look of utter boredom. An ear tilted inquisitively when she stood by a tree with low branches. Applejack glanced up at the tree, and then fixed her stern slits of wrath on him.

"Now, ah'm not gonna be settin' too many rules, but the rules ah do set ah expect ya to follow them. Ya don't and they'll be hay to pay." The pony grit her teeth at him, gazing venomously where the careless creature was merely rolling back and forth in the soft hay, taking the strands into his teeth and sucking on the sweet, floury, wheat taste.

Knowing there would be little to no success to getting him to buckle down and listen to her, she went on, hoping he'd at least make a half-hearted attempt to pay attention. "This here's mah farm, and it's the livelihood of mah family; it's where we grew up and it's our lives." She loomed closer to the lazy spirit, forcing him to take a step back and stumble into the golden hay. "And you _ain't _allowed to mess with it!"

Discord just sat there with a benevolent smile, secretly hiding his belligerence. The moment that pony turned, this farm would scream chaos. He went back to chewing hay.

"Ah know ya can't do anything too strenuous, so ah'm sticking ya with helpin' to get them apples off the tree. Ah think you can do it; Apple Bloom will be helpin' ya." Her glare deepened, and by now the smoldering emerald eyes were nearly against his slightly apprehensive, crimson flecks. "She's mah baby sister and if y'all treat her badly or do anything to her.." Her voice trailed off, the ghost of the threat not even reaching the spirit's ears.

Applejack moved back to the low branched tree, and Discord watched absently, attention mostly diverted to a bug, as the pony bucked off a fair sized branch from the tree with a snap. She plucked off the leaves and held it tightly clenched between her teeth. "See this here? This is a tree branch."

Discord snorted. Okay, perhaps he wasn't 'one with nature' like she or Fluttershy was – and to be honest he'd turn most tree branches into licorice or candy canes if he had the chance, but it didn't mean he had no clue what a-

A thundering crack split the ear, causing both him and ponies probably miles away to flatten their ears in a desperate attempt to protect them from deafening sound that reverberated the moment the stick in Applejack's mouth snapped against the tree. Discord's mouth opened enough for the hay to fall out in horror as he stared at the split in the large tree trunk, and then back to the southern pony.

Applejack was as pleased as peaches to see that unlike before as he twiddled hay and rolled in the bale she now had his complete and undivided attention. "And this branch here hurts." She once again walked towards the frozen spirit, and he snapped back into reality enough to once again scramble back, falling clumsily into the hay with a soft, plush, plop.

"Y'all don't follow the two little rules ah set for ya, and you'll be feelin' this here branch. _Got that?_" His head was high, as if he was trying to avoid a blade being pressed to his throat, and the speechless spirit could only really nod.

"Good." Discord flinched again as she struck the tree once more, somehow creating another small split that easily would have created damage if it touched skin. "Now go on – git to work!" Applejack was pleased Discord hurriedly untangled himself from the hay and flew to the orchards.

Discord's insides burned with rage and embarrassment as he soared through the farm, nearing the endless line of apple trees. What right did the ponies have to degrade him so? It wasn't bad enough that he had to submit to Fluttershy's lighthearted tickling punishments and now he was being threatened to be thrashed with _trees?_

_Oh, what next? Sent to bed without dinner?_ Actually, Fluttershy had done that one time. If that pony came after him with the whip he could simply show her her truly was boss. After all, meager supply of magic or not, he had the power to stop her, even injure or kill her. When it came down to it though any attempt to full out harm one of Celestia's royal subjects would _definitely _warrant an eternity in stone once more, if not the death penalty. Plus, when the thought of harming Applejack crossed through his mind so did a pair of bright, mournful, pleading blue eyes screaming his betrayal.

That was almost as bad as stone. Swallowing his pride, Discord descended into the orchards, scanning the area for a miniature version of the hill billy pony. He spotted a bright satin bow on a tiny head and stubby yellow body. He landed.

The chagrined, sun yellow pony was futilely kicking her stubby little legs against a trunk, glaring up with annoyed amber as her attempts were unsuccessful. This tree really didn't want to give up its apples.

"Well, it's gonna!" With an angry yell, Apple Bloom struck the tree once more, her wide orbs lighting with glee as the fruits of her labor (literally) finally tumbled off their branches, encased in a golden glow. Confused, the young filly watched, astounded as they floated over her head, and into the palm of a certain draconequus.

"I'd watch the bucking if I were you. Don't want to break your leg now, do we~?"

Apple Bloom stared up at this towering, weird looking mismatched creature with body parts of seemingly every species on earth. She hadn't ever seen Discord before, even though he and Fluttershy sometimes came to the farm. For the most part, she'd catch sight of the scaly, wiggling tail, or one of his odd feet before she'd be sternly shooed off. He was quite a sight.

"Ya must be Discord!" Apple Bloom was surprised she didn't feel any fear as she cheerfully trotted towards the multi beast loitering by the tree and gnawing on the apple. Perhaps it was because she was one of the braver fillies; maybe she just found him too silly looking to be scary. "Ah'm Apple Bloom."

"So I was told.." Discord's voice was painfully heavy with boredom, his ruby pupils rolling about in exasperation as he glared at all the trees he needed to de-apple. Apple bucking with a baby pony and prohibited from causing _any _chaos. Sigh.

"D'ya want me to show ya how to apple buck? Well, ya need hooves – oh, ya got hooves!" The filly stood back, awkwardly admiring the peculiar goat leg and clopping hoof in the dirt. "Really, it's just a matter of kickin' hard! If yer legs are startin' to hurt, well that just means ya done a good job!"

The spirit's flat eyes watched the little brat as she stuck her hoof into the tree, shaking several apples off, causing them to tumble into a barrel at her side. She repeated the process with the next tree, and a barrel was full before Discord even realized it.

"However, if ya feel like yer legs are startin' to break you may wanna stop to catch your breath." The little hayseed gave him a goofy grin, to which he shrugged off with coldness and disdain, flying up to the tree and casually using magic to pick off the fruits from the leaves. Apple Bloom bit her lip.

"Well, usin' magic is all well and fine, but ah think Applejack meant for ya to gain a work out in this. Ah didn't hear much, but she tells me ya got hurt somehow."

The spirit's eyes glazed with venom, the apple clutched in his paw smashing to the ground in yellow goo from anger. "Yes, by the attempted murder of your psychotic princess – don't remind me."

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to defend the princess, but she instead tightly shut it instead, glad she had to excuse to get away from the hostile creature to slowly back up and buck another tree. His cold red eyes glared at her, causing shivers to ride up and down her spine.

"Ya know, apple buckin' can be fun if ya give it a try." Apple Bloom suggested meekly, her limbs trembling so much as this spirit glared at her that her kicks were clumsy and ended up barely scraping the tree. "I do it all the time, and it'd be good fer ya since yer still a little sore. Plus, mah sister gets real mad at slackers..."

"Finding an easier way to do this dreadful task is not slacking," Discord snapped at her, causing the filly to slightly cower. He paused, considering and watching the fruits as they were dislodged from their clinging branches. After several minutes of gazing at the trunk with curiosity, Discord landed on all fours in front of the trunk. He noticed Apple Bloom's eyes on him and hesitantly struck out both legs, like lightning.

Apple Bloom's eyes widened as every fruit fell into the barrels below, and just about every leaf was shook off the thick branches. He was strong. She let out an excited whoop, bouncing on her hooves and looking at the draconequus in admiration. "That there was the coolest thing ever! Yer real strong!"

Discord blinked, gazing up in time to get a leaf in the eye. Shaking it off, he gazed at the leaves around, decorating the soil, and a grin snaked over his muzzle. The draconequus had never really tested his physical strength, always doing everything by magic. Apparently though, he was strong enough to impress the kid so that said something about him.

"Ya should probably watch the strength though," Apple Bloom suggested, twiddling one of the leaves in her hooves. "Shaking all the leaves off might affect the tree's growth. Just kick the base of the tree hard enough to shake them apples off. With the rate yer strength is goin' we should be done in no time!"

Discord inwardly snorted at that, eyes roaming the rest of the orchards with doubt and annoyance. Yes, it sure seemed that way. Although the spirit had to admit that it was just the teeniest bit nice to be able to, well, _move _again! After being cooped up in bed for a month he was finally able to move freely again.

A familiar twinge of pain pinched the nerves where the spirit's healing cuts were. Discord grimaced, his shaking goat leg faltering off the tree as he stumbled slightly, eyes squinted shut. His head prickled with a thousand needles and the newly healed limbs began to ache slightly as well. Apple Bloom seemed to catch onto this.

"Take a break fer a little while," she suggested, somehow having summoned enough courage to lightly pat the tensing spirit's back as he gave several heaving pants into the sour dirt. "Ah know you still aren't feelin' too well. If ya want, I can show ya around!"

The sweaty, heavy, gray lids opened, mismatched pupils rolling up to look at the little hayseed by his side, a friendly smile on her face as she offered her hoof. He didn't take the hoof, rather backing up from it, but he did push himself up on all fours and followed the kid out of the orchards.

Regaining an iota of strength, Discord padded quietly behind the child as she chattered eagerly like he was actually listening, telling him the history of their farm, from the luscious apples and their apparent origins by zap apples, to telling him about when they first got the duck pond. The tired spirit remained silent, only glaring listlessly around him, trying to ignore the pins and needles.

"Ya know, ya don't talk much, do ya? Applejack said ya never shut yer trap, but that seems pretty far from the truth." Of course, Apple Bloom could see the way his head already hung in exhaustion, even his mane seeming droopy and lifeless. She knew when she wasn't feeling well she didn't like talking much either.

"Hey, ya want some nice fresh lemonade? Big Mac made it last night and it's mighty fine!" The filly watched his dissolving expression; it seemed to perk up slightly, so she took that as a yes. Trotting through the dry grass and bits of hay, the two pushed open the doors to the house.

The house was a quaint little place, old congealed painting on the wall, worn kitchen counters, and an insistent creak from where a rocking chair with some huddled jade bag of wrinkles and bones seemed to be snoring away.

"That there is mah Granny Smith, the best pony in Ponyville! Ya know, she's the reason Ponyville came to be!" As the little filly went on blabbering another dismal little tale, Discord's attention was drawn to the elderly mare as she slept peacefully, a small smile turned up on that wrinkled face, little sighs of contentment emanating now and then.

Ohoho, he just HAD to ruin this sweet little nap~

"What in tarnation are ya doin'?" Apple Bloom demanded in a whispered hiss, her tone sharp, yet eerily quiet as she watched Discord ignite his talon. Now she knew why Applejack called him the bad guy. "You ain't hurtin' mah Granny!"

The draconequus chuckled, his talon staying encased in gold as he focused it on the old mare. "I'm not, my dear. Haven't you ever joked around with your dear old granny?" he asked her, leaning towards the child's face and looking into her eyes questionably. "Haven't you ever played harmless little jokes? There's more to my pranking than just harming ponies..." Of course those benign looking innocent eyes gleamed with a secret venom, trying to lure the girl into giving in. Perhaps today could be fun after all.

Apple Bloom chewed on the inside of her lip, swallowing a gulp of sweet lemonade and contemplating. "Well...Granny and ah have sometimes pranked each other – she's always been a real jokester. And, if these pranks here really won't hurt her.."

That was all the draconequus needed to perk up instantly, flitting into the living room, seeming to have forgotten his agony in the joys of being able to torment another hapless little pony. Well, not torment. He remembered Applejack's threats well, and plus...he had to have _some _respect for the elderly~!

A very hesitant Apple Bloom tiptoed in after the draconequus, head low, paranoid of the tea green pony to wake, and feeling a little guilty. Well, it was all in good fun; not to mention revenge on the dastardly old mare for putting a rubber spider in her bed the other night.

Apple Bloom's honey colored jaw fell to the ground with a soft plunk as the golden tendrils of magic wrapped around the chair and began lifting it, as well as every other object in the room. Mouth gaping, she stared at the snickering spirit, slowly backing out of the room with him. The startled snore signaled the mare was awake, and her stiff hoof brushed away the drool on her mouth as she gazed around in shock.

Apple Bloom's horror turned to desperately fighting her hysterics, face getting red and tears coming to her eyes as her granny blinked and surveyed the scene in confusion. She titled her head, hoof coming to her partially open mouth, brows wrinkling up on her forehead.

"Con-flabit. Astigmatism," she muttered, turning back on her side and going to sleep again.

Bursting through the doors to the house, the giddy filly and draconequus collapsed in hysterical laughter the moment they were out of earshot. They rolled in the grass, clutching their stomachs and giggling until their sides felt like they were splitting open.

"Oh, alright," Apple Bloom giggled, brushing the grass out of her fur. "Ah gotta admit that was pretty funny. She looked so dang confused." Her grandmother's completely perplexed look was still cemented in her mind and she let out a guffaw.

Discord was beyond overjoyed, a dark pleasurable feeling welling within him. Oh, finally! Finally a pony that didn't immediately pin him with a ruthless tickle punishment, threaten to whip him, or lecture til the cows come home when he committed just the tiniest prank. Finally, he had partner in crime. Sure, she was a little more of a tightflank than he wished, but he could mold her into something. Starting today.

"We should really get back to work now. Ya feelin' any better? Ya must be since ya – hehe – pulled that on mah Granny Smith." At the innocent nod, both cantered their way to a different portion of the orchards, closer to the back of the barn. "This here is where most of the apples are. They been in the trees for a while 'cuz it takes a while for us to get to 'im. We need to buck 'em before they start to rot."

The draconequus silently kicked away at the rough trees, pondering on another incentive to lure the little foal into more mischief. Now, what should it be... Hm. "Apple Bloom, what do you do in your spare time?" He said it casually, as if it was merely small talk, and the wonderfully oblivious little foal didn't catch the dark edge to his quiet tone.

"Ah mostly try to earn mah cutie mark. Ah can't seem to get it no matter how hard ah try! Applejack says ah'm supposed to be patient and wait for it, but ah been waiting so long!" The filly bent her head sadly, red bangs dragging in the dirt as she kicked her tree.

Discord floated towards the child, laying a mock sympathetic paw on her hunched back, stroking his beard and twiddling it around his talon in deep thought. His eyes roamed the area. Oh where to do some chaos, where to do some chaos, where to-

Aha.

There it was, a nice stretching, newly painted wall just inside the barn; a canvas for art and chaos that seemed to be beckoning him. Hiding the thin smirk, Discord turned her towards the wall. "Have you ever thought of trying art as your special talent, my dear?" he asked, voice nearly a droning whisper. "Why just look at that wall in there; it's so bare, beige and _boring!_I'm sure your sister would deeply appreciate you spicing it up."

Apple Bloom bobbed up her chin, staring at the painted barn walls. Well, Miss Cheerilee had always complimented her on her drawings – usually of the farm and her family – in class, and she never really had tried art as her special talent.

"Well...ah remember Big Mac and Applejack saying they didn't like the color of those walls..." An encouraging push from the flat of Discord's reptilian foot was all the child needed to gallop into the barn, eyes eagerly exploring the paint buckets. There was red and green and pink and orange and blue. She knew Applejack probably wouldn't really appreciate her drawing on it.

"I'll just give it a nice new coat!" Unaware to Discord's darkening grin and gleaming eyes, Apple Bloom lifted the brush from the bucket and began painting large pink streaks; the congealed blobs of paint dripping crudely down the walls and puddling at her hooves.

"Don't hold back my, my dear," Discord chortled, eyes gleaming manically, "let the creativity flow." This was genius! What a lovely tool this child was against her sister.

"Apple Bloom!"

The foal gave a strangled squeak of surprise, nearly stumbling into the can of paint and sprawling onto the floor at the sharp tone that reverberated through the barn walls.

"What in tarnation are y'all doing?" The larger southern pony stormed towards her kid sister, emerald eyes darting from the wall to the cowering pony, demanding an explanation.

"Ah..ah was just painting the wall," Apple Bloom stammered meekly. "I heard that you and Big Mac don't really like the color much."

Applejack gave a large, exhaled, angry huff, shaking her head. You needed to be cautious of what you said around kiddies. "That don't mean we wanted ya to scribble all over it!" she scolded, shaking her head at the pony and fastening the lids back on the paint. "It's a nice design, but really, Apple Bloom! Y'all know better than that."

The child submissively lowered her head, ears inadvertently flattening as she gazed at the ground in shame.

"Now march your little yellow hinders in the house and wash up," her big sister ordered, tone heavy with disappointment. "No apple fritters for you after dinner; y'all know better than that, Apple Bloom." She was still talking even though her dejected little sister was already making her way to the house.

Her lecture completed, the southern pony whirled to a certain draconequus sitting on a bale of hay and hiding his pleased smile. "And you!" she growled, getting up into his face. "Ah bet y'all influenced her plenty to do that!"

The draconequus gasped, making his eyes grow as wide as saucers, feigning hurt as his paw flew to his chest. "Why, Applejack!" he exclaimed dramatically, ears back. "You wound me so! Why would yo ever think I'd do such a terrible thing? I've been nothing but nice to your sweet little sister! I just – what's the word? – gave her a creative boost."

"Uh-uh," the mare snorted dubiously, leering into his fake innocent eyes. "Well ah'm watching ya, Discord. Ya do anything to her and mah farm and ya'll will regret it."

_Such a pity you've missed it all, my dear,_ the spirit thought with inward glee, _perhaps you should get your eyes checked if you really have been watching me._

The southern pony let the draconequus endure her angry, stony silence, before bidding him out the door. "Get out and get back ta work." The draconequus instantly obeyed, slinking out the barn door, unable to wipe the grin off his face. Suddenly the farm air smelled sweeter, the gloomy un-sweetened clouds having dissipated from his mood.

Right where he and the filly had been bucking two small little figures stood; one a marshmallow white and one a vibrant orange. Oh joy. More kids.

"Woooow.." Sweetie Belle neared the spirit, eyes wide with awe, circling him like he was some amazing monument or a god...wait. He snickered.

"Is that the thing that terrorized Ponyville and _Rainbow Dash?_" the braver orange one demanded, circling him. Both girls drew back with a squeak as Discord huffed in annoyance.

"'Thing' – oh that's a nice name for me. I've been called a dog, a monster, a varment, and now a thing? These labels are really going down hill. Come now, my little ponies." He swooped towards them in the air, looming over them, delighted as he spooked them. "I'm _Discord._"

"Why are you so ugly looking?" Scootaloo asked bluntly, causing the spirit's mouth to fall open, about to turn that impertinent little brat into an orange cushion when somepony from behind him eagerly shouted out a greeting.

"Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle! Ah'm so glad ya could come!" The blur of yellow tackled her friends in a playful hug, pulling back and trotting away with them, completely ignoring the draconequus sitting there in the grass. Nothing else to do, Discord tagged along.

"We got a load of work ta be done, and ah could really use help with some apple bucking!" Sweetie Belle looked reluctant, but Scootaloo skidded to a stop right then and there, her orange snout wrinkling in disdain.

"Work? We didn't come over here to work! We came here to all find ways to earn our cutie marks. Like _usual?_"

The yellow pony chewed on her lip in thought, hooves shuffling uncomfortably as she tried to find a way to convince her friends, who already seemed intent on leaving. The idea came, the light bulb nearly flashing over her head and alighting in her eyes. "We can see if..if apple bucking is our special talent?"

Both girls looked doubtful and confused, exchanging looks and shrugged shoulders, before Sweetie Belle turned back to Apple Bloom. "Can there really be a special talent in..apple bucking?"

"There can be a special talent in anything!" Her idea seemed to work, her friends slapping hooves with her. Discord had just approached them, promptly collapsing, holding his head as the three shrilly shouted,

"**YAAY! CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS APPLE BUCKING!**" The shout rattled a few leaves from their trees, birds escaping the trees in a flock, ponies from miles probably covering their ears.

The children giddily trotted off, leaving Discord to writhe in pain on the ground, his hands clawing at his poor abused ears and shattered ear drums.

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Kill him. Kill him kill him; stone him stone him. Anything but this! Dear Equestria, shaping an accomplice in that little hay seed just wasn't worth it anymore! He's rather take Applejack's beating, a day with Celestia, an hour of tickling – a day with no magic! Anything but this, absolutely anything!

"**CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS FROG CATCHING!**" Oh, dear goooooods! What – was that their second hundred thousandth attempt at earning their cutie marks now? _Frog catching? _Were these kids bonkers? He was quite certain they were bonkers! Every few minutes the dreadfully, painfully, loud scream of their name and some other scheme rocked every apple in the trees above him. The attempts were only followed with brief moments of despondent sniffling, until the process merely repeated itself.

_Fluttershyyyy! ...Mommyyyyy!_

The little sniffling sighs of the three children indicated the...frog catching certainly hadn't been a success, and at last Discord was treated to some sweet, sweet silence, where he laid on his belly and relaxed. The spirit glanced pointedly at the children, rubbing his beard again. After a few minutes, a dastardly plan hatching in his mind, he floated nonchalantly over.

"What's wrong, my little ponies?"

All three girls' sad, almost wet eyes trailed to their flanks and then turned back to the spirit. "We're still blank flanks." They sat on them in embarrassment.

"Awwww," Discord cooed, "so? We can all still have fun." His tail wrapped around them in an insincere hug, pressing the kiddies close to him, constricting lightly around their tiny bodies. "Why there's endless ways to have fun on this farm~!" His fingers wiggled insidiously.

Apple Bloom watched those ruby flecks roam the area for something to corrupt. They settled on moving shapes near the barn: the chickens. Apple Bloom was about to protest, but they fell on deaf ears as a golden coating washed over the white feathers and the chickens stopped clucking.

"WHAT DID YA-" The filly's furious shout trailed off when she watched the chickens fold their wings under them, scratching at their sides. It was then they began to screech chimpanzee sounds, dragging their wings on the ground and waddling back and forth.

Rolling back and forth in mirth, the kids eventually joining in, Discord howled with laughter, the bubbly, giggling fillies falling to the ground in laughter as well. As Discord rolled up kicking, the same thundering crack from earlier sounded through the air, followed by the intense, blistering pain that reached a degree of burning words could not describe.

His jumbled, scrambled brain was having trouble processing the nerves needed to let out a proper scream of anguish for a moment. At last they complied. "OWWWWIIIIEEEEAAAIIIYEE!" Close to a dozen more lashes made the draconequus let out a strangled shriek, his paw and talon flying to the swollen welts on the base of his tail. It had been a while since he had felt that sort of pain, although there had been a couple instances where Fluttershy had given him a single swat with her hoof. (And immediately cried afterwards when she realized she hurt him.)

The spirit doubled over, onto his belly, hands clutching at the burning streaks on his scales he was certain were chipped now and bleeding judging by what she did to that tree. It hurt, it hurt and the spirit felt his eyes watering with venom and wrath, his hands providing little comfort to his stinging backside. Nothing would make him happier than to turn that psychotic hill billy into a nice, steaming, cinnamon apple pie.

"Stop your whimperin' and git up!" Applejack ordered sharply, spitting out the switch. The spirit begrudgingly obeyed, taking his time to stand on his shaking legs, his talon glowing threateningly. Just one lightning cloud; just one giant _waterfall _of chocolate milk. Just to show her she couldn't get away with humiliating him this way!

"Golly sis," Apple Bloom frowned, stepping a little protectively in front of the sore and whining Discord, "he was just playing."

"Ain't no time ta be playing!" Applejack admonished, stomping her hoof down for emphasis. "He got time ta be playing and he got time ta be working – which is what he's supposed to be doin'!" She moved past her sister, to the spirit glaring hatefully at her and concentrating magic in his paw and talon. "Oh go ahead and use your voo doo magic on me – ah dare ya! Ah'm mighty sure Fluttershy and Celestia would be pleased as peaches that ya'd hurt me, hm?"

OH, he hated her, he hated her, he _hated_ her. How dare she threaten him, how dare she whip him, how dare she, how dare she, how _dare _she-!

"That's what ah thought." With a slight smirk, Applejack turned from the group, making her way back to the house, unable to suppress the soft laughs when she realized what she actually managed to get away with.

Apple Bloom glanced down at the pathetic spirit that once again flopped into the grass, clapping his hands at his backside and trying to rid himself of the vicious pain. Dumbly, the filly decided to ask a stupid question. "Does it hurt?" She shrunk back sheepishly when Discord gave her a murderous glare.

Applejack strode off, head held high, as if she had just brought home the highest medal from the annual Roundup. She stood beside her brother, eyes alight with a welling sense of pride and accomplishment. "'Bout time that varmint got his just desserts."

Big Macintosh gave a firm nod and a smirk. "Eeyup."

xxxxxxxx

The skies were lit with twilight, and the hay and crops took a distinctive shade of orange under the sun's light, sleepy rays. Already the giant orb of fire was descending down past the hill, bringing Luna's night, start appearing like freckles on the black sky's face.

Discord was under a tree sleeping while Apple Bloom sat beside her older sister and pointed out the stars as they appeared. It had been a long day, and sleep was overtaking the young filly as she gently tumbled onto Applejack's back.

Fluttershy approached the tree, where she saw the sleepy, fluffy form there on his belly, looking so peaceful. Peaceful and sweet. He had been the first to fall asleep before anypony, immune system still weaker from the recent trauma, and thus he tired easily.

The pegasus gently smoothed a hoof over the ruffled black mane, nuzzling his face. The muzzle twitched slightly as it was cuddled, and then dropped back onto the ground in exhaustion. Fluttershy giggled softly and decided to give him a few more moments to sleep before waking him. She trotted through the dewy, cold grass, approaching the southern pony still looking at the stars.

"He wasn't too hard to look after, was he?" Fluttershy asked with a small sheepish wince, kind of figuring what the answer might be. "I was not sure if I should leave him here or not.."

"Shoot, Sugar cube, all was fine," Applejack chuckled, her smiling face turning from the sky and towards her friend. "Ah managed to wrangle him, just like ah do our cattle. How was shopping? Bet ya must be mighty tired."

Fluttershy glanced over at her pile of bags she had to drag back with her; Discord's favorite cookies perched at the rim of the brown paper, peeking out at them. "I am, I really am. I managed to get Discord's favorite snack. I had to travel all over Ponyville to find them! Would you believe Sugarcube Corner was sold out?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"But lucky for me there was a small sweets vendor at the edge of town. By the time I finally got there and back I was too tired to shop for the things I really need." She giggled, but Applejack had fallen silent, staring intently into Fluttershy's blue eyes.

"...Ya really love him, don't ya, Sugar cube?" The question seemed to slightly catch the pony off guard, but she had her answer prepared in an affirming nod and sparkling blue eyes. "Hm. Well, ya should be headin' off before it gets too dark." She chuckled, eyes roaming over to the stretched out, sleeping Discord. "If y'all can wake him that is."

Fluttershy trotted softly back to the curled up form. The fluff of his tail was adorably falling over his sweet little snout, and Fluttershy giggled as he snorted in his sleep, twitching his nose in annoyance from the tickle. "Discord..." The spirit's head flopped to the side, his tail twitching lightly. "Come on, sweetie..it's time to get up." After a few moments a single miffed red eye opened.

"Nn-hrm.." Fluttershy giggled from his barely coherent response as he rose unsteadily onto all fours. "...Hm. G'ess the patch 'nder the tree w's c'mfier th'n I..though'..." At his guardian's laugh he shook his head to rid it of the sleepy state, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"About eight at night. Come on now, let's get home." She gave the spirit a gentle nudge and he haphazardly stumbled into a slow walk to the gates. Walking behind him, Fluttershy blinked as her eyes adjusted to the red stripes on his backside. She shot a questioning glance over at Applejack, who's eyes only glinted mysteriously.

xxxxxxxx

Discord had collapsed onto his stomach on the plush mattress the moment he and his caretaker reached the living room. Before his head even hit the pillow he was out, and Fluttershy gently pulled a sheet up over the still form. Giving the spirit another nuzzle, she had to smile at the way he made an unconscious attempt to pull away. She ran a gentle hoof over his mane, but the tufts of hair flicked her away. Fluttershy smothered the burning candle and walked to the door.

At this point Fluttershy herself would usually saunter her way to bed, or else at times curled up next to him when feeling vulnerable, but the pegasus found herself making her way back out into the frigid night air.

The visions Fluttershy had seen – it had been a month ago but it never left her mind, or Discord's. The gruesome images, to the smiling and laughing child gods of the past stayed embedded somewhere in the recesses of their minds, popping out when unwanted.

Fluttershy knew something had to be done. She refused to let the draconequus continue to be plagued by his past, and she herself refused to live in inward fear. Most of all, she refused to let Discord and the princesses continue to hate each other.

Approaching the library, Fluttershy's hoof faltered at the door. What if Twilight was sleeping? She had already bugged her friend enough about Discord. The two of them had committed crimes against Equestria. She was surprised Twilight even wanted to remain friends with her.

The pegasus had barely even realized the light pouring from the open door as Twilight stood there silently in front of her. The two girls exchanged silent, pained looks, sharing the private pain the two were always in from what they knew. Without a word Twilight ushered her friend in and shut the door.

xxxxxxxx

_(Y'all voted for some CMC and Discord to get his "just desserts", so wish granted._

_Southern dialogue is hard._

_Might be a while until the next chapter is posted)_


	11. Chapter 11

"Don't worry, princess! Er—fear not, princess! Thou—um..." Sweetie Belle sighed, dropping her paper sword and letting it flutter back down to the ground, next to her gloomy, absently kicking hooves. "Rarity, how should I say it?"

The fashionista unicorn heaved a heavy annoyed sigh, tapping her hoof and wrinkling her snout in annoyance. She hesitated for a moment, about to walk over and lend a hoof, but to Sweetie Belle's dismay she changed her mind and went back to her design.

"Sweetie Belle, I'm a little busy at the moment. I have to finish this design for a very important client and the deadline is much too soon!"

"But you _always_ say that!" Sweetie Belle protested, her lower lip set in a firm, trembling pout. "The client is always important, but I really need you too, sister! I know you're good with acting and all so couldn't you lend a tip as to how to be a great knight? Just a little help? Please, the play is in less than a week!"

Although her stomach felt a little heavy with guilt, Rarity desperately drowned out her little sister's plea with her own thoughts a she carefully, expertly trimmed through the fabric. "Look, darling, it's in five days and this dress is due in two days! I _must_ finish this first so please try to understand."

The young filly gurgled out a furious growl too low for her sister to hear and fell despondently on her flanks, fiddling with her paper sword. She glanced back over at her older sister and sniffed indignantly, wrinkling her snout like Rarity did when she didn't like something.

The sound of a ringing bell reverberated through Carousel Boutique and Sweetie Belle could tell just by the way her sister didn't even look up that she was expected to open it. Trudging and mumbling to the door, the unicorn swung it open.

"Oh, hi Sweetie!" Fluttershy greeted happily, patting the child's poofy, swirly mane. "Is Rarity there?"

Sweetie Belle tried not to give much of a snippy tone; she liked Fluttershy after all and it wasn't her fault Rarity was being mean. "She's busy right now. What is..." The girl trailed off, jade eyes widening at the sight of a certain draconequus painting polka-dots all over Rarity's flowers. "What's he doing here?"

"Oh, I really need to do some things in Canterlot with Twilight today and I need somepony to look after _him_-" she punctuated that with a glare behind her and a sharp tug on the spirit's tail to get his attention "-for me. I know it's a lot to ask, but Pinkie Pie is busy with the babies, I'm terrified of leaving him with Rainbow Dash, _he's _terrified of being left with Applejack again-"

"I am not!" Discord growled, face pinkening in embarrassment, confirming he was indeed.

"-and I can't leave him alone in the cottage. He'll destroy everything if somepony doesn't look after him and keep him in line." She bit her lip at Sweetie Belle's hesitant look as she glanced back in the boutique.

"Well..Rarity is kinda busy, but I guess I could look after him!" How hard could it be?" Really, he was an _adult_, wasn't he?

"You'd be surprised," Fluttershy muttered, gently pushing Discord in through the door, where the impish spirit slithered over to one of the mannequins, drawing faces on them with markers. She shook her head and gave the filly a grateful nuzzle. "Thank you, Sweetie Belle. Let me know if he's too much trouble."

"It should be okay..I'm responsible enough!" The little unicorn warily glanced back at Discord (who was now amusing himself by stealing Opalescence's toys right from under her). "Umm...yeah, we'll be fine—huh?" The child blinked as a pink, fluffy feather duster was pushed into her hooves.

"If he gets out of line use this on him. Don't leave any valuables with him, and he eats ten times a day and shoves pennies up his nose. Thanks Sweetie, I'll see you tonight!" The door closed.

Sweetie Belle fondled the duster in her hooves, probing at the dastardly, soft feathers. "Well okay. I guess I'll go tell Rarity we have a guest...that just taped our cat to the ceiling—RARITY!"

"UGH. What is it, Sweetie Belle? I already told you I'm too busy to help out with your little play right now!" The fashionista blinked as her sister came rushing in, breathless.

"We have a guest!"

"What?" Rarity cried as if Sweetie Belle had just told her she mopped a grape stain with white towels. "A guest? _Now?_ Oh, I'm much to busy! Why in Equestria didn't you send them away?"

Come to think of it, who _was _the guest? She knew her friends well enough to know their greetings. Pinkie would bound in bouncing on her hooves and chatting incessantly, Fluttershy would peek around the doorway and squeak if she could come in, Twilight would go on with something tedious and boring she read the other night, and Applejack and Rainbow would usually just trot (fly) in.

"Well, I would have...but he needs a ponysitter." Rarity blinked at her. _He? _She didn't know of any 'he.' Her heart pounded in dread when she immediately thought of one of those cake kids, but why wouldn't the daughter be here as well?

"Who's the 'he'?" Something complied the unicorn to look up (perhaps it was the tuft of white fur dangling into her eyes).

"Why hellooo, Rarity~! Seen your old flame Tom lately? If not I found a pebble the other day that you'd die for! He's a little small, but does size matter to you~?"

"WAUGH!" The chair creaked and splintered as she flailed back in horror and surprise, impacting the ground with a harsh thud, Discord's laughter ringing above her. "What in Equestria is—how did—WHAT is that DOG doing here?" The seething fashionista fumed as she rapidly gestured to said dog eating her fabric.

"Fluttershy dropped him off," Sweetie Belle squeaked, withering under the nearly murderous look in her sister's eyes as she regarded the chaotic demon, yanking the fabric from his mouth. "She went to Canterlot with Twilight and he needs somepony to look after him so he doesn't..do stuff."

The fashionista's cheeks puffed out in rage, eye twitching and mouth grinding, prepared to explode in a ferocious rant and or scream as the filly ducked for cover under a table. Discord just looked amused; ponies exploding were one of his favorite things.

Rarity swallowed her steaming shrieks and scathing words as she walked up and drew her reluctant little sister out. "Alright, fine then. Sweetie Belle." A maniacal glint in her eye, the unicorn sneered. "But you have to take care of him. Dogs take a _lot_ of responsibility. You have to feed him, groom him, clean up after his business-" Still snickering on her ludicrous words, she couldn't get angry when Discord furiously hurled a pin cushion at her.

"Uhh...will do, sis!" Sweetie Belle turned to the towering spirit, insanely intimidated by those daunting, scarlet eyes and that sharp looking fang. Her voice a little constricted, she squeaked out for him to follow her, watching him turn Rarity's dresses into garbage bags on his way out.

* * *

><p>Anxiety ran high as the two approached the large swinging doors leading to the entrance at the palace. Both Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged wary glances and both guts clenched under the smooth skin of their abdomens. Both sleepless and bloodshot eyes burned from the sunlight. They had been up all night talking, discussing what they would say upon coming here.<p>

"Are you ready?" Twilight asked, reassuringly and comfortingly gripping Fluttershy's hoof. A squeaking whimper was the response and Twilight had no idea if that was a yes or no.

"What if the princesses get mad for asking all this and—and they throw us in a dungeon or something?" A lavender hoof brushed against her bottom lids to wipe away the dew and the other hoof tightened around her arm.

"Be positive, Fluttershy." Her voice was a little contradictory since you could almost feel the negativity seeping from every word. The unicorn pushed open the grand doors with a high pitched creak and trotted inside. Fluttershy wasn't as quick to, warily glancing back at the palace guards.

"Aren't you..you going to stop me like last time?"

The guards glanced at each other and focused their stone faced look back on the young pegasus. "We hath received orders from Princess Luna to always let the bearers of harmony in for whatever reason. And we must throw apples at the one called Discord."

Fixing perplexed looks on the two guards, the pony hesitantly slipped past the grand doors, falling into step beside Twilight. Making their way down the tedious, forever stretching hall, Fluttershy kept her eyes plastered to the fibers of the carpet, tears threatening to brim when she could feel the cold eyes of stained glass Discord watching her every move.

"Now we can't stay here very long," Twilight warned her in advance. "Having been a student of Celestia I know it's around this time that the princess is either answering to her scrolls or attending a royal audience so we can't take too much of her time. Let's go in quietly in case she's busy with her work."

Nodding in understanding and trying to keep from pursing her lips in annoyance, Fluttershy helped Twilight push open the large doors.

"Checkmate~!" There was the sun princess, in the midst of "working" on an oh-so-important chess game with her little sister that was currently throwing a tantrum over having lost, pointing an accusing hoof in her cackling sister's face.

"Cheater! Big cheat! Cheater! I saw you cheat, I saw it!"

"Oh, Luna, don't be such a big baby! Just accept your older sister-" She struck a ridiculous pose, batting her eyelashes flirtily, "-is UN-DE-FEAT-AB-AAAAALLLLLLLE!" Despite wanting to stay angry and pout like a brat, Luna fell back in a fit of giggles. Neither had noticed the very confused and dumbfounded girls that trotted up to them.

"Princess Celestia.." The cautious, almost squeaked tone still had Celestia shoot up, causing the board and pieces to launch off her as the alicorn struggled to regain her royal status, smoothing out her mane and turning to – what she suspected to be a servant – dignified.

A wide grin spread across the ivory face at the familiar, butter colored and purple little forms. "Oh, Twilight! Fluttershy! How wonderful to see you all." Her wings fanned out, one touching their backs in greeting. "What brings you both here?"

As much as Twilight wanted to engage in a long, what-I've-done-with-my-studies filled chat and Fluttershy probably wanted to ramble about Discord, the two knew they couldn't get distracted. Honestly, both wanted to get this to-be interrogation session over with and leave as soon as possible.

Celestia's smile faded off to a worried frown as both faces were suddenly devoid of cheer. "Oh dear. Is something wrong?"

"Princess Celestia..." Twilight bit her lip, scuffing her hoof against the tile and averting her eyes. She could feel her teacher's prying eyes on her and knew there was no going back. "We would like to know about your past with Discord. And...and your parents."

Instantly the tension was as thick and choking as smoke. Luna's hoof had frozen from where it had curled around a chess piece, and she dropped it. Celestia just stood there as stiff as a statue. Luna's eyes eventually roved up to meet both cowardly faces. She wasn't angry; both her and her sister were merely shocked and tense.

"What...what you you wish to know?" the night princess finally whispered, body inadvertently lower to the ground, wings drooped to the sides of her, dragging on the ground. "Why ask of our parents?"

"You want to know about our childhood with him," Celestia said, more to herself than anypony. She sauntered silently to the window; one of those soul searching looks on her face as she gazed up into the clouds. The girls were about to apologize and leave when Celestia spoke again.

"I was around five when they first found him. He was two; this tiny, fuzzy and ugly thing with fur sticking up everywhere. Looking back now I realize how adorable he actually looked, but I was a little too afraid to see him as anything but frightening." She flushed. "I was five."

"And he was ugly," Luna muttered.

"When my parents found him in the palace labyrinth they weren't sure what to do with this creature. They knew he was a draconequus, but their race has been extinct for a while. Exterminated. They took Discord to their seer and she was just as dumbfounded."

The alabaster unicorn violently shuddered as the memories racked her brain. "The seer had no explanation as to how he had survived when the rest of the race died out, but they told them this particular draconequus was a demon." Fluttershy's breath caught in her throat. "He was a spirit, the bearer of chaos, pain, and destruction. Crystal Pendulum told our parents to drown Discord, but they refused to kill an innocent baby.

They instead decided to raise him. We were all naive at the time; we thought we'd actually be able to change him of what he was the incarnation of. Our parents were foolish enough to think they'd be able to save his soul. Perhaps it was because he seemed so innocent and playful. Rather dopey and stupid in the beginning."

Fluttershy's thoughts flashed briefly back to those owlish, scarlet eyes and silly smile on that tiny face from Discord's dream and could easily picture it.

"I thought Discord would be raised along with me as my brother, but I hardly saw him until he was five. Sometimes I'd see him through the window to the library wing as he'd be staying with our nanny. It turns out that my parents had betrothed us the moment they took him in. They figured I'd be able to steer him right."

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged suppressed gasps. The book had been right.

"When he turned five he came out to play every day. In that time my parents would look after him. Growing up, I know he felt estranged to Father as he was punished for something everyday. Father never tolerated a break in order. To be honest though, I think Father favorited Discord over us. He just never saw it that way."

Luna snickered, only hopping into the conversation when she could delight in adding humiliation to him. "He was constantly given the switch and from the ages of five to nineteen I don't think I ever saw him sit down."

Fluttershy visibly cringed again, recalling where she had extracted from the poor spirit as to why his rear end was covered in a network of welts when she brought him back from Applejack. "Oh yes, poor thing received that from Applejack the other day." Luna just fell down laughing.

"From the beginning," Celestia continued, wishing to get this over with as fast as possible, "he was always prone to chaos. At the ripe age of two he had a tremendous amount of power and seemed to be able to do anything even at his age. I didn't even have that amount of power at his age."

As her lids quietly closed, Twilight could see a bit of water forming at the rim. "The light hearted pranks of banana peels on the floor and salt in the tea turned more malicious as he got older. Simple parental punishments did nothing and our parents knew it. They went back to the seer. She again told them either the solution was to kill him or disown him."

It was now, the emotions having gotten to Luna, she spoke up. Her voice wavered. "But how could we? He was our world!" The princess tried to remain stoic and strong, but the raspy breathing indicated the tears were near. "He was my brother and Celestia's heart. He was mother and father's baby just as much as we were!"

Twilight and Fluttershy looked at each other, ears pressing back at the haunted sniffles coming from the night alicorn. They had gone too far to go back now. It was press on and no turning back.

"Even as he grew colder, more distant, we still regarded him as family," Celestia whispered. Her thin, pained voice was nearly inaudible. If Discord could see this. "Even when Luna and I began to fear him, we still loved him, as did Mother and Father."

"I'm pretty sure a few servants over the years made numerous attempts to kill him 'accidentally'. One of them 'fixed' a cabinet that conveniently fell the moment he stepped near it. Another one left a large butcher's knife on the table when he was two. I think I recall a servant also let him play pretty much on the hot stove. They were all fired."

Twilight's bright purple coat had blanched a few shades of blue where her friend was squeezing the life out of her, a look of horror on her face.

"Eventually, I think my parents decided they'd need to banish him in order to save their kingdom. I'm not sure, but I think so. It was the only time I saw Father cry...and so hard."

Large tears were dripping down Luna's midnight blue coat, making her necklace glisten and staining the tiles. "But...but if that was their decision, or if they just wanted to talk to him, they never had a chance to do either." The girls knew this was coming: "They died. I-I don't know how. None of us do...The doctors suspected it was either an abrupt fatal illness, or something that had built up in their immune system over time. But...but it was terrible."

There was a very odd and unreadable look in Celestia's eyes. Even through the crystal, brimming tears, the girls could see the look. They didn't know what her eyes were saying though.

"Yes...the illness must have been terrible and so sudden and unexpected. Discord took over Father's throne soon after..and we had no choice. We had to put him in stone. We had to make sure he wouldn't harm anypony..or...or even himself."

"The stone wasn't our plan," Luna whispered, "but it was in the Elements' plan. The Elements don't care about pony's feelings – they do what is best for Equestria. They were the only ones not oblivious to the facts we tried all our lives to deny: that he couldn't change. Even when he freed himself, and when we thought maybe the Elements would give him a chance this time. They wouldn't."

A silence.

"So that's the story I suppose," Celestia concluded with a listless shrug. "Discord from cradle to corruption. Is that all the information you need?"

The young equines looked at each other again. Twilight had already begun to turn on her hoof to leave, but Fluttershy stayed firmly rooted there. She looked up at Celestia and Luna.

"You say the Elements would never give him a chance to show he can redeem himself...but would you?" At the tense and nearly stoney looks on the alicorns faces, she hastily went on. "You say he is the face of chaos and he can't change...but he can," she squeaked.

They all looked doubtful and she couldn't blame him. Nopony knew that draconequus like she did, not even the girls that were raised with him. They remembered the demon to be a vicious creature that betrayed their trust, fought his way to the throne even after his own parents died. They only knew him as a beast that had harmed them.

Fluttershy knew him different. She knew him as the snarky draconequus that painted her walls in honey and peanut butter; the draconequus that teleported himself into her own nightmares just to protect her from the monsters that plagued her. She knew him as the creature that constantly got into hilarious bantering wars with her pet bunny, and the one that would constantly flop next to her on the couch and demand a belly rub. There was a difference in how they all knew him. Fluttershy knew him as playful; Celestia and Luna knew him as lethal.

"I know he can change.. I..I don't mean stop his chaos all together – we all know that can't ever happen... But I've seen those mean attacks just turn into...simply pranks! He's always looking after me.. He hasn't ever hurt me and he would never."

Celestia shook her head, focusing her pained, violet orbs on the young girl. At this point she truly had no idea if Discord had the pegasus under a spell, if she had gone delusional...or if she was right. Nonetheless, this same conversation was becoming tiresome and stressful to deal with.

"Fluttershy, dear...we do want to believe you, but it's hard, and you must understand that." Celestia turned to a trembling Luna, gently turning her little sister towards her and pressing her face into her side, concealing the blue, tear stained face from view with her wings.

Twilight felt her heart constrict and twist, the tears beginning to brim over at what pain their selfish questioning caused her mentors. Quietly, she draped a hoof over the very still, very silent Fluttershy and pulled her along, leaving the two heartbroken sisters to their grief.

* * *

><p>Sweetie Belle sat laid there belly down on the floor, absently twiddling and rolling around a few of her old crayons she had gotten out in case Discord wanted to play with them (clearly having no idea how to entertain a spirit of chaos). If anything, he seemed to be finding amusement in stuffing them up his nose.<p>

"Uhhm...so, what do you like to do?" Sweetie Belle asked awkwardly, scribbling red over a sun she was coloring. She grimaced at realizing the colors didn't match with what she wanted and tried to color the red over with an orange.

"Chaos," was his automatic, toneless response.

The filly tried holding out an orange crayon. "You want to color?" She only watched with a stunned blink as he took the crayon, tossed it into his open mouth and swallowed it whole. "How about a green one?" He ate that one too.

Picking the wax out of his teeth, Discord casually hovered over towards Sweetie Belle's bed. The wary unicorn filly anticipated what he was going to do and watched, captivated as his talon glowed with a golden hue – before immediately turning her bed sheet into a very bright, complementary slice of cheese.

"Hey!" The child darted towards the cackling spirit, taking a flying leap and landing only in the space of air he was floating in. She glared as he appeared behind her, twiddling his fingers in a mocking hello. He turned from the child and darted over to her bench, gleefully transforming it into a very large chocolate bar and taking a bite out of it.

Fluttershy wasn't kidding! This creature really did eat ten times a day; bedclothes and interior decorating alike! Sweetie Belle's jade eyes caught sight of the limp little duster in the corner of her room. She darted to it, taking the tickly instrument into her hoof.

_Now's a good chance for me to practice my lines and get into character!_ The unicorn child hopped out in front of Discord, standing tall on two hooves and brandishing his feathered nemesis towards him. She gave angry snort and scraped a hoof against the ground.

"Vanquish, foul beast!" Not even giving the child so much as a glance Discord poofed the duster into a rather frenzied chicken that immediately ran amok around the horrified filly's room, knocking over ornaments and darting out into Rarity's work area.

"Oh nononono – bad chicken!" Sweetie Belle screeched, scampering into her sister's room, where a now shrieking Rarity was trying to shield her designs as the golden talons of the creature clicked all over her desk and hopped over her head.

"Sweetie Belle! Get that thing!" The filly zip-zagged past her sister, taking a flying leap at the bird. Oh, she had it now! Right when Sweetie Belle felt the feathers of the chicken brush against her chest there was a sudden snap and the oh-so heroic girl fell hard on the duster rod.

Glancing over at a hysterical Discord rolling about on the ground and a Rarity lecturing and screeching at him, Sweetie Belle pulled the rod away from her abdomen and groaned. It was going to be a long rest of the day.

* * *

><p>"Well, that felt <em>great<em>," Twilight hissed with heavy sarcasm, inwardly kicking herself and outwardly banging her head against a wall. Those pained eyes would forever haunt her mind. "There's nothing better than making your teachers cry, hm?" She struck her hoof back at the palace walls, making a painting above tremor slightly.

"I hated it too," Fluttershy whispered, repressing the sniffle at seeing her friend so mad because of her. "But we...we needed answers, didn't we? I-I know you are only doing this whole Discord thing for my sake but I know you..you were a little curious too."

She had her there. Twilight had been dying with curiosity and kept hidden of the fact she just lay there blinking in bed most of the night, anxious for the conversation. "Alright, I admit to that." The unicorn levitated _Equestrian Royal Origins _out of her saddlebag and a capsule of ink and a quill.

Fluttershy sat beside her friend, watching as Twilight scribbled notes on the side of the paper. She rolled her eyes as Twilight scribbled beside the pictures of Aegeus and Astraia: 'killed by Discord.' "Is that, um, really necessary, Twilight?"

"No matter what you're investigating, it's very important to make notes," was the unicorn's response, writing beside a picture of Discord: 'supposedly spawned by demons, Aegeus and Astraia's adopted son.'

"I can't believe the princesses really think that an illness was what took the life of the king and queen!" Twilight exclaimed. "Wasn't it Princess Celestia that straight out told us an alicorn can only be killed by brute force and magic? They should know they didn't just catch sick and die. They're in denial..." She glanced back. "I think we should tell them-"

"NO!" Fluttershy was in front of her friend in an instant, having whipped towards her so fast Twilight stumbled over the book. "If they find out Discord killed the king and queen they'll put him back in stone for sure!"

"Well, we have to say something!" Twilight retaliated. "We can't just not tell them who killed their parents. We have no right to keep that from them!"

"They _wil l_get told," Fluttershy stressed firmly with a firm stomp of her hoof, "but it..it is not our liberty to tell them.." Both girls fell silent and Twilight resumed to writing a few more notes in the pages of the book. Dejected and quiet, Fluttershy's saffron hoof fell on the page's frayed edges. She looked at her friend with tears in her eyes.

"Can I hold onto the book for a while please, Twilight? I..." She shut her eyes and the edge of her delicate eyelids twitched with clinging tears. "I want to remember a time when he was happy. When they all were happy."

Twilight understood completely and gave her friend a reassuring hug, enveloping the book in a magic field and sliding it into Fluttershy's saddle bag. "Ready to go home yet?"

"Yes; I just want to make a quick stop at a Canterlot bakery on the way. I promised Discord I'd bring him back his favorite cookies..."

* * *

><p>Click click went the sound of a penny being tossed back and forth in a lame game of boredom Sweetie Belle and Discord had cooked up. The two's first idea had been to cut snowflakes out of Rarity's <em>old <em>fabrics, but nooo, the priss wouldn't tolerate the mess.

"Could you two PLEASE keep it down? I am in the middle of a very important commission and you are _both _ruining my concentration!"

"Please, every commission of yours is 'important'," Sweetie Belle muttered in a snippy manner, prompting a snicker from Discord.

"I hardly care about what you foals think. A commission for Princess Celestia is not something I do every-EEP!" She squealed as Discord abruptly darted in front of her face, a talon gripping the silk of Celestia's dress, studying it closely. It actually didn't look like he was about to destroy it. For some reason he was staring sharply at it.

"What are you making a dress for Kill-estia for?"

"The Grand Galloping Gala. This year she's actually going to be attending it rather than greeting everypony at the door. I believe Princess Luna is doing that." She turned from him, carefully wrenching the silk from his grip. "Never have I made a dress for royalty – it needs to be absolutely flawless!"

"She likes sunflowers."

"What?" Rarity turned to the spirit. He was on his back now, lips pursed, arms crossed, face emotionless. He didn't even turn back to her.

"If you truly want to 'dazzle' her, then she _likes_ _SUNFLOWERS,_" he snapped. "It was always her favorite flower." The fashionista's eyes settled on his face for a moment, briefly, ever so briefly flashing with concern. It disappeared instantly once he suddenly summoned a rubber spider and taped it to the dress.

"Hoho, or we could make a dress that would really make her _crawl _indeed!" he cackled. "IF you'll let me help, elegant Rarity, I could create the most chaotic dress in all of Equestria!" Those eyes darkened at the sudden remembrance. Well, he never and would never forget. "Why would you make her something beautiful after what she did to me!"

Rarity's pearl white teeth ground in annoyance, eye twitching like the oh so many times Sweetie Belle did something to render her on the verge of exploding. Yet, just like those oh so many times she cleared the rage and glanced back at the filly with calm eyes, she did it with Discord. Perhaps it was time to try a different approach.

Discord had his head turned, seething vermillion narrowed and looking at the wall. He blinked and squeaked out a yelp as the fashionista half comfortingly, half sternly gripped his face in her hooves and turned him to her.

"Now, listen darling," Rarity forced out, surprised that it didn't make much effort to be comforting. "I understand you're very angry with the princess for crippling you. Even I agree from what Fluttershy told me that you did nothing to deserve that." He tried to nod, but the mare gave his face a single shake. "_But_ I will _not_ have you jeopardizing my business for the sake of petty revenge!"

The marshmallow hooves left his face and the spirit clenched his jaw angrily, venomous, glazing rubies darting back over to the angelic, bulky dress. "Who said I'd _jeopardize_ your business, my dear?" he asked calmly. "I'd only jeopardize this dresses color scheme and over-all design..."

"A dress that belongs to the princess!" Rarity huffed out in exasperation, shooing the spirit away that was currently over her head and glaring balefully at the dress. "If she sees it fit she could shut me _down! _I'm quite certain she'd do that if I gave her a spider dress."

"Hmmph, who cares. Fashion is a stupid career anyways," Discord muttered venomously, almost thankful when Rarity seemed too preoccupied in her work to hear him. He hovered back over to Sweetie Belle. The filly was busy mumbling things about dragons and what sounded like the old Canterlot dialect. His eyes roved over the script, realizing it was a play.

"Vanquish, foul beast! We hath...we hath arrived to save thy princess! No...that's not right." Sweetie Belle moaned and let her head flop into the script. Stupid, stupid play! Unknowingly to her and the busy-body unicorn Discord had snapped his fingers..and something was breathing on the child's shoulder.

Sweetie Belle had suspected the annoying chaotic demon was lounging over her shoulder and breathing on her, therefore the last thing the poor girl assumed was to turn and to be targeted by a pair of malicious, yellow eyes and have a thick cloud of smoke being blown into her face from a very realistic looking illusion of a dragon. No, it was Discord.

"WHOA!" Sweetie Belle shrieked, falling back over her script book as the Discord-dragon towered above her. "What are you doing?"

"Say your line, my little pony!" Discord said cheerfully, as if it was completely normal to stand there as a giant red dragon. "They always say it helps to get into an acting role when you have good props!" He cackled.

"V...vanquish, foul beast! We hath returned to save thy princess!" she shouted, fumbling to grab her paper sword, looking less like a fearless knight and more akin to a toddler that that thought a monster was in its closet. She squeaked as the spirit of chaos summoned and struck out a paper sword of his own. No..his was a gummy.

"We will never return thy princess! Thou art leave! ...Ah, that isn't right; Luna was always better at this 'Royal Canterlot shlop' then I was." He twirled his goatee (that he had taken the liberty to make sure was still attached to his dragon form) thoughtfully.

"Aha!" With a flash of white the dragon was gone and there stood Discord with a toffee crown on his head and a candy scepter. "I shall be the royal prince of GUMMY BEAR LAND!" With a flick of his wrist a gummy bear jewel appeared on top of his scepter. "I am here to save the land of cheese doodles and apple sauce from the evil robot!"

Sweetie Belle was on her stomach, pounding the floor with her hoofs as she giggled and guffawed, frantically waving the script to him. "Discord, there aren't any robots in this play!"

"Oh yes there are!" Sweetie Belle only watched as Discord swiped up an empty cardboard box from beside the mountain of costumes and shoved it over Rarity's head. "And she is the evil robot!" The fashionista shrieked and struggled, hooves grasping at the edges of the box, but Discord held it on.

"For making all the children of the world eat their broccoli, take that!" Discord shouted, slamming the rod of the duster against the side of Rarity's box head and causing the fashion pony to tumble off her chair and into the trunk of costumes.

"Oh, you dog! You impolite, uncouth _beast!_" Rarity screeched, marshmallow hooves scrambling at the sides to try and pull herself up. If was no use, the trunk was just too steep. "You just wait until Fluttershy hears about this! Or Applejack! I swear to you, I-" Her promised threats fell silent as Discord nonchalantly kicked the trunk closed.

He turned, expecting the snoot's younger sister to rave at him to let her out, but to his delight his feline paw met her hoof in the air as they slapped a high hoof/high paw. Just as the front door swung open, revealing two certain, very tired little ponies.

Fluttershy was the first to drag herself in, poofy mane seeming to be deflated in exhaustion, hanging low to the ground. The pegasus smiled when she saw the familiar, sweet (to her anyway) little twisted face. The rest of his body was sprawled out on a trunk. She incorrectly guessed he was laying there out of exhaustion (not even pausing to consider he was trying to contain a screaming pony).

"Evening, sweetie, did you have fun?" The pegasus asked, trotting up to the spirit and affectionately nuzzling his torso as he tried to subtly worm away from her.

"Oh, it was the _best_," Discord chortled darkly, and Fluttershy either chose not to detect the playful malice in his voice or was simply too tired to. "Can 'Auntie Rawrity' and 'Auntie Sweetie Belle' babysit wittle Dissy every day?" he crooned, sneering at the opposing screams of a certain unicorn probably drowning under a sea of clothing.

Fluttershy wasn't deaf to the screams. "What's that sound? And where's Rarity?"

"Hm? Oh, it's probably just Opal~ And I believe Rarity said something about having a nice, hot bubble bath to wash away the stress of looking after little-ol'-me~!" Fluttershy's suspicion only lasted about half a second as she merely shrugged and turned to walk out the door with him.

Discord gleefully followed, and a certain little filly trotted to the trunk to help out her distressed sister. Really, if this was the kind of things he could get away with Fluttershy this tired then he wasn't ever going to let her sleep again~!

* * *

><p>Even Discord had to admit he was exhausted. A day of eating crayons, getting ready for his grand role and then the <em>tedious<em> fly back to his guardian's cottage. Why in Equestria did she have to live nearly on the edge of Ponyville?

"You look just as tired as me," Fluttershy sighed, practically crawling through the front door to her cottage. "You didn't even make the day long trek from here to Canterlot and back either."

"Well no, but a day of chaosing can easily wear a Discord out!" The spirit situated himself all snuggled up and comfy underneath his quilts, batting his eyelashes towards Fluttershy, twinkling scarlet eyes gazing up at her expectantly, like a child waiting for his bedtime story. Or something else.

"What?" Fluttershy giggled tiredly, rubbing at her sapphire eyes with saffron hooves.

"Cookie!" he pouted, really sounding like a four year old now. "Cookie, cookie, cookie!" He blinked as the pony cringed and averted her eyes sheepishly.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but there were none left when Twilight and I got to the vendors. They were all sold out." Discord's eyes went owlish and nearly watery, as if somepony had told him his puppy had died. He stared at Fluttershy, but she shook her head and reaffirmed she had gotten none.

"I can get you a nice warm glass of milk though to help you sleep!" she offered. He merely stared at her so the pegasus tiredly cantered off to the kitchen. Every joint felt as if a screw was being tightened more and more with ever step. Her stupid saddlebag wasn't helping any. Far too exhausted to process common sense at the moment, she threw it down near the coffee table.

A frivolously scowling Discord was doubting his caretaker's honest words. He knew the pegasus well enough to know she condoned eating sweets before bedtime, like all typical mother hen figures. Fluttershy's Element wasn't honesty after all.

"If I find you're hiding my cookies from me I will turn your tea to soap," he muttered under his breath, dumping the contents of the bag out. Only one thing fell out, and it wasn't cookies The large, hard cover book flopped to the ground in front of the draconequus. The spirit of chaos could only stare at the engraved words on the front of the book.

_Equestrian Royal Origins._

He already had a bad feeling, but he shakily stepped out of the bed and picked up the book anyways. He sifted to the bookmarked page. His blood froze rigid in his veins. It was his parents. Visible, old tear stains had tainted the images of the large, enchantingly beautiful alicorn as black as night, and the cream colored stallion with a flowing mane that looked like smouldering embers. Discord could still make out their ever loving faces, their smiles, their gentle and serene eyes.

The moment surreal, time having stopped, not even sure if he was breathing. Discord's eyes scanned Twilight's notes.

_King Aegeus and Queen Astraia, killed by Discord from a magic debilitating spell._

Foster parents of Discord.

Betrothed to Princess Celestia.

Used the "Alicorn's Power" book on them.

Killed by Discord. _Killed by Discord._ _**Killed by Discord.**_

"Okay, sweetie, it turns out we're all out of milk, but what you like some-" The glass precariously fell from Fluttershy's hoof and smashed into thousands of pieces on the ground, spewing out a small tidal wave as white as snow.

Fluttershy could only stand. She could only stand and stare on in terror. His face hadn't risen from the pages of the book, reading the same words over and over again. At last, he turned to her.

"...Where..._did you get this?_"

* * *

><p><em>(DOOOOH SNAP. And sorry for long waits for updates. School kept me busy.)<em>


	12. Chapter 12

Discord, wait – it isn't as it seems! I can explain! At least that's what Fluttershy thought she said, but the words stayed cemented in her throat, stuck there as her blood continued to freeze. His face wasn't readable and she couldn't tell if he was angry, sad, or heartbroken.

Finally, he began showing some emotion and it was every one that existed. The one that screamed was betrayal.

He fingered the paper, every page of the book, and his hands and heart stung as he did. Hardened crimson gazed over the pictures and words, scanning them again and again, hoping it was one of the figments of his broken heart and guilt in a dream. But the book didn't fade.

"Where...where did you get this?" he repeated, claws digging into the cover, making small indents in the hard leather. He gazed back at the book, and then back to her. It was clear he was truly in shock and all that was distinguishable on his face was confusion.

Fluttershy's throat had swollen, siphoning off air or any hope to be able to talk to him. Any explanation died before it had a chance to roll off her tongue. She simply shut her eyes and stood there.

"You..." The spirit's eyes fells back to the pages of the book as he grazed a talon over the tattered paper and stained words. "...You've been..going behind my back...all this..time..?" He didn't wait for a response, eyes instantly falling back to the book, captivated without wanting to be.

The fact the pegasus didn't say anything only put Discord's suspicions in cement. Every time he looked at her the pony was lower and lower to the ground, tears rolling. A tumor in the back of his throat, Discord wordlessly gazed at her.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt like this. No, actually, that was the worst part: he could remember. He felt like it when he found out his parents had decided to go through with banishing him, when his own love and baby sister put him into stone. When he found out all their care, all their 'love' they showed him over the years was a trick. And now...he had been tricked again.

_But how could I have let it happen again? How could—could I not have seen it? Why does this feel like a betrayal?_

It was because he had let himself weaken again. He had actually fooled himself into thinking a measly little pony could actually care for him. Worse, he had allowed himself to reciprocate and allowed her to wriggle into his impenetrable heart.

"But I...I trusted you!"

That was the worst part. He had grown to trust her and in these months of intense vulnerability – depend on her. He trusted she'd feed him every day, that she'd look after him, protect him from her stupid friends and those even stupider princesses. Even though he hated it, he still trusted her to put him to bed at night, smother him with disgusting gag inducing nuzzles and attack him with that feather duster when she could take no more.

"You've been lying to me...all this time!" Now there was anger. Almost nothing but anger.

As he glared at her, spitting venom, the only thing the girl could do was sob and squeak out a few pathetic sobs. "No, Discord – please, it's not like that! I was never trying to hurt you! I did all this for you!"

The cold, calculating laugh had Fluttershy's stomach contents threaten to lurch up and onto the floor. He turned to her, a menacing, sneering smirk upon his face as he neared her, slowly.

"Hohoho, so what was your plan, my dear~? Have you and your little friends secretly been searching for evidence to put me back in stone? I don't think you needed to because I'm quite certain that was Celestia's plan once I was well! Or were you aiming to have me killed by her this time? If that was the case wouldn't it have saved you the time to have just left me to die when your friend tried to kill me~?"

Fluttershy just stared, feeling every figment of her heart break piece after piece. It crumbled to dust as it hit the hollow abyss of her stomach.

"D..Discord, how could you think that? I-I've taken care of you for..for nearly a year! I-I stayed up with you the entire night the o-other night because you had a sore tummy from eating too much before bed! I-I've done _everything _for you."

She took a desperate step forward, trying to extend a wing enough to gently touch him. It brushed gently across his arm, but the creature made no response.

"I-I love y-" She choked on her words as Discord roughly latched his claws into her hooves and jerked her up to his face.

"You see...there's something I've learned over the years, dear," he began in an ominous whisper. "Something a lot of ponies ask me about. They all immediately assume I'm repulsed by love because I'm simply the god of chaos and disharmony, but the truth is.."

Fluttershy shut her eyes as he jerked her a little closer to his face. "There is no such thing as love. It's a convenient lie, a poison emitted into your mind and heart to make you believe in something that isn't there. It's a way for your enemy to break your defenses, expose your vulnerability..._and destroy you._"

Fluttershy's breath was nearly knocked out of her at the sudden slap of leather as he shoved the book into her chest. She stumbled back, collapsing onto her side, and staring up at him through tear drenched, rosette locks and frozen sapphire eyes.

A chilling smirk turned up the corners of his mouth, his eyes back on the cover of the book. "That's what that book has taught me."

The trembling, ghost white pony gazed down at the pink, stinging indents on her saffron hooves and found trying to take a swoop of air caused her chest to give a bruising throb, as if that book was still against it. She gazed up at the malicious creature above her a final time, before desperately bolting past him and out the door.

Discord watched her retreating back as she ran, sneering as he could practically see the tears flying from her face. They practically glistened in the moonlight and weren't very hard to miss.

He whirled to the book, the true physical pieces of memories not relived in a dream. His head throbbed with the cries of his love and sister, the scathing words of his parents, the adviser telling them to drown him, that horrible spell, that horrible, idiot child draconequus that thought he could control it, that horrible book book **book-**

The anguished spirit released a distraught, malicious snarl as he literally pounced on the discarded book, taking it between his teeth and ripping mercilessly at every page, watching as the scripted confetti floated around him. When the paper fell delicately into his fur he reeled back as if it was engulfed in flame. Shaking off the poisonous memories, he engulfed the rest of the white dust in an orb of fire. He blasted it again and again and again, no longer in his right mind as he singed the cottage floor, beating the specks of black dust.

The smell of burning remnants assaulting his nose, the spirit gave it a shaking, furious kick, thrashing ruthlessly at it like a mad man as the black grains seemed to taunt him as they floated up into the air in front of him. The snarls growing less menacing and more childish, the spirit flailed blindly at the remains, suddenly making a sharp turn and finding himself stumbling into the table.

His vision obscured by the chocolate brown wood, the sharp pain bloomed across his head as he heard the side of his face crack against the edge of the table. The draconequus tumbled to the floor, rolling a few inches, and slamming into the leg of his bed. His entire body throbbing, the shaking creature stayed there on the cold floor. He glanced up blearily, squinting his eyes shut with a heaving shudder as the ashes settled themselves back into his fur. Finally, he cried.

* * *

><p>The moon was already high in the sky, sailing far above the stars as it played its role for the night. Evening creatures were already in a deep slumber and nocturnal ones were chirping and screeching excitedly.<p>

Twilight's lavender hooves ached and were scuffed and filthy from the trek to Canterlot. Her eyes burned with yet another night of no sleep...but she simply couldn't settle. She couldn't calm herself down.

_At least I know I'm not alone..._

Without a doubt from what they witnessed that day, Fluttershy probably was trotting around the cottage or sitting under her cherry tree, thinking.

As the lavender mare trotted closer to the cherry trees, she didn't see the saffron form curled up. Anywhere. Of course it was late in the night and perhaps the day's exhaustion overpowered her troubling thoughts.

An ominous feeling twisting her gut, Twilight, for some reason, couldn't leave. Even though she had a feeling the pegasus was in bed, the bad feeling grew with every step as she turned to leave. It was when Twilight briefly whirled to the forest did she see the glimmer of shadow cast pink leaving her view, and disappearing into the night.

Twilight gasped and bolted towards the edge of the forest, shouting out into the dark thicket. What she suspected to be Fluttershy didn't respond.

Panicked, the pony desperately searched her knowledge of Everfree to see if there was any Everfree creatures with that _distinctive _color of pink on them, but she didn't know much of the forest's monsters.

Trying to assure herself her friend would never be stupid enough to venture off to Everfree, let alone at night, Twilight burst open the cottage door, fiercely startling a certain draconequus that had something clutched to his chest.

The pony took in the condition of the room in shock. The scent of smoke was choking and ashes were everywhere. The floor was singed and a certain coffee table had been detonated.

"What..._have you done to Fluttershy..._" The mare's lips were turned up into a snarl, unaware or unmindful to the puffy, red eyed condition or the ruffled, blood tinged mane of the spirit.

Discord's voice held utterly no tone. "What are you talking about.." He watched without concern as Twilight ignited her horn, pointing it towards him. "She ran off."

"WHY?"

The response that met was the sudden, choking cloud of ashes to be swiped towards her. Giving a whinny, Twilight batted away the specks with a hoof, eyes suddenly on the charred photo of the king and queen that had somehow, by some fate, survived and was tucked in Discord's paw. Her expression melted off to one of horror and Discord sneered.

"Cover blown?"

"You...how did you...?" It was then it dawned on the mare what the ashes were. "What did you do?"

The menacing, belligerent glaze returned to those vermillion eyes as he neared her, watching the panicked mare strengthen the power in her horn.

"I simply had a little talk with your partner in crime: Flutterfiend, the traitor." The horn was nearly at his throat now.

"How dare you say such things about Fluttershy! She is the kindest, most loving pony I know that would never hurt anyone, not even you! Not even the one that hurt her."

At Discord's doubtful hiss she scraped a hoof against the ground. "If it was up to me I'd keep you far away where you couldn't ever hurt her!"

"Hurt her? _Me_ hurt her?" Discord laughed. "I'm the one that hurt her? I'm the one that went behind someone's back I'm supposed to 'love'? I'm the bad one? I'm the evil one here?" A pulse of dark magic pushed the unicorn back warningly. "_Nice __**try.**_"

"_Everything_ Fluttershy did was for _your sake!_" Twilight spat, with venom coating every word. "She risked everything for the sake of your happiness!"

"Unless you're assuming the risk would be me doing something to her upon finding out about her lies, I hardly see what you're talking about." He readied a more powerful pulse, hopefully one to blow her into Everfree as she neared him once again.

"Fluttershy had always known about those nightmares you started having, and all she wanted to do was _stop them,_" Twilight snarled. "She didn't want to see you in pain, didn't want to see you screaming and crying in your sleep. She set to find out what was causing them so she could help you."

Eyes still dark and doubtful, Discord was at least silent. Part of his brain pushed away the truth he so badly wanted to deny to save himself more pain, while the other half listened intently.

"When we went to the palace you had one of your nightmares. It was after the greenhouse collapsed and you were sedated. Fluttershy was desperate to find out the source of these nightmares...so I borrowed a spell from _Alicorn's Power_ to see into your dream."

The very mention of the title sent an electric chill racketing the spirit's spine, and he had to swallow before speaking. "Dream spells...are bl-"

"Black magic, I know," Twilight said solemnly. "Fluttershy knows as well. She knew what could happen if we both participated in a law against Equestria...but she still went through with it."

Twilight was pleased to know he had effectively shut up now and she reveled in how upset he looked with this information. "She did all this just to try and help you. To get rid of these nightmares and give you comfort..and peace."

The draconequus remained silent in his confusion, trying to process all of this without any luck. "But...why?"

"Because she loves you. And don't ask me to give you a reason for that because I have none. She did everything for you. She broke..._the law_for you. She runs the risk of being banished from Equestria for good. It's all because she just didn't want to see you upset. So if you ever want to deny her caring about you I'd think about what you've just learned."

The unicorn walked slowly away, back out into the night, and left the silent creature with his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Deep within the forest, past the shadows of most of the trees, laying draped over a silver rock and weeping her broken heart out, was Fluttershy.<p>

Of course, she wasn't alone. Her shrill cries and mane dipping into the swamp water rippled the surface and alerted a few of her old frog friends, who kindly hopped up onto her back to comfort her, coating her in sticky mucus from their bodies.

"Oh, oh, H-Hoppy and Feet, thank you f..for being here for me," Fluttershy hiccuped quietly, salty tears dripping off her muzzle and landing in the water below her. "It's nice to know I still have a friend."

The slimy amphibians croaked and gazed down at the pony, unable to do anything but sit there on her back and comfort her with their presence. Neither knew what was wrong and neither felt like extracting it from the distraught girl.

Fluttershy's throat was raw from her incessant sobbing and her eyes burned, but the tears traveled down her trembling cheeks in steady tracks.

She had no idea why she was here or what the point of coming here was, but she just didn't feel like she could be in the cottage, let alone with him. Dangers around every corner or not, the forest was comforting to her and where the pegasus reunited with a lot of past old friends.

The green, wall eyed creatures stayed at the anguished pony's side, trying to nudge her affectionately. The response that earned was a slight cringe as Fluttershy's cheeks were coated in thick mucus.

Discretely, the pegasus wiped at her face. She watched with dismay as the frogs abruptly leaped back into the murky waters.

"Oh-oh wait! I'm sorry..!" Fluttershy pleaded, lurching herself halfway over the rock so the creatures could hear her through the thick swamp water. "Pl..please...I didn't mean to offend you.."

She misinterpreted the wide, googly eyes that poked themselves through the water as sadness, not catching the way they were darting frantically behind her.

"You see, it's just...while your cuddling is very sweet, you..um..you're a little slimy, and-" She blinked as the horrified critters croaked in warning, one of them gesturing to her and the water. She giggled. "That's sweet, little ones, but I can't live underwater with you. I wish I could."

Abruptly, the slick, green heads ducked back under the water, disappearing from sight. It was then the jagged shadow fell over Fluttershy's fragile little form, and she turned. And she wished she hadn't.

The nightmare loomed over her head, towering at height of the trees. Its entire body was black, from the jagged, ruffled wings to its pointed crest and long, spiked, reptilian tail. Needle sharp claws protruded from its talons, and a long, razored beak curved outwards between two, blood red eyes. It was the single more terrifying thing Fluttershy had ever seen.

The nightmare let out a hiss and a ghastly croak as it beat its mighty wings. As the cockerel-headed creature snarled at the pegasus it mimicked the sound of a wheezing party blower, propelling the horrified pony into the swamp waters.

Rooted to the spot in fear and wading silently in the thick waters, Fluttershy tried to glare up at the nightmare.

"H..hey now!" she scolded. "That wasn't very nice! Hasn't your mother taught you any manners? You should know better than to push a pony into a swamp! It's mean!"

The nightmare was unaffected by her mother-hen-scolding, cocking its ugly, crested feathers at her and letting out a hiss. Its disgustingly watery, crimson orbs followed her every movement as the pegasus climbed out of the swamp waters with baited breath.

As the ghastly creature neared her once more, Fluttershy tried a different tactic: flaring her eyes at the beast in "the stare". What had taken down a cockatrice, chickens, children, and even mildly disturbed the god of chaos had no affect on the nightmare. In fact, it lashed out with its own eyes and instantly froze Fluttershy on the spot.

The pegasus fought desperately, trying to rear back out of the monster's grip, but it had her. The sea of blood transformed into a black void, trapping the pony in a suffocating trance.

Rather than feeling the cold sting as her limbs transformed to stone, a sudden black poison began oozing into her mind, fogging out everything she knew.

Fluttershy squinted, trying to rid herself of the blinding, burning pain as the fog wrapped around her mind. A sharply inhaled breath was cut short as the black fingers curled around her lungs and heart. Just when the pony was about to lose consciousness, a sharp, searing pain ripped up her back, tearing her from the trance.

Discord stood behind her, talon outstretched from where it had produced several shallow wounds across the girl's back. "_FLUTTERSHY, RUN!_"

Fluttershy snapped to attention instantly, ignoring the sting of the cuts and the added discomfort from the night air whipping into them as she galloped through the forest, hyperventilating, crawling through the bushes and crying out from the deafening wing beat just behind her.

The cockerel monster darted after its prey, easily knocking aside the tiny, pesky spirit with his tail.

Discord only stayed down for a second, snarling and keeping up with the beast's speed and tackling it. The nightmare unleashed an ungodly shriek as the feral spirit latched his fangs deep into its neck, but the affect on such a large creature was only a mere little gash.

Discord was thrown off for a second time, taking a stance on all fours. He bared his fangs, back fur bristling, eyes wild and with the intent of murder as he shielded the retreating pony from view. The nightmare's feathers flared and it leaped on the smaller immortal, mercilessly snapping at him.

The spirit of chaos lunged out of the way of the nightmare's attack, blood dripping from the small wounds the monster's claws had inflicted upon him. His mismatched hands ignited with a pulse of colossal fire, propelling it towards the nightmare.

The creature only blocked the attack with a wing, visibly absorbing the blow, which was no shock to the spirit.

Discord knew the living nightmare above him was a basilisk; their world's most demonic and rare creature. Very few had escaped the Gates Of Tartarus, but the ones that had lurked deep within caves and dark forests. Each were only slightly weaker than the power of an alicorn. Discord currently didn't even have half the power Celestia had.

Yet he wouldn't give up.

The spirit snarled and faced the basilisk, rearing at the nightmare and daring it to take just one more step so he could snap off its scrawny legs. He blasted at the cockerel again with enough force to push it back slightly, but that was all.

The basilisk's eyes transformed back into a blackened mass once more, but Discord averted his gaze hurriedly, firing another dark pulse at the beast without looking at him. It sailed over the nightmare's ugly head and burned a hole into a tree.

Feeling as if he had been slammed into a brick wall, Discord blearily looked up to feel a wet, throbbing pain from where the spikes had slammed into him, and cut a shallow gash across his side. The spirit outstretched a slightly bleeding claw, but the power fizzled to nothing within a second. He was out of magic.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was struggling to run on through the thickets of grass, and on exhausted limbs. She still had the Canterlot trek as weight on her body and no sleep to top that. The pulse of the creature's wing beat was distant now. Matter-of-fact, Fluttershy heard nothing. No snarls, no sounds of magic spheres, no screeches.

It was right when the pegasus turned that Discord, bloodied and bruised, randomly leaped out of nowhere, latching his muzzle around the scruff of her neck and bolting through the trees.

Fluttershy watched his mismatched legs lift centimeters off the ground, only to instantly note they crashed back down, nearly causing the two to take a stumble they couldn't afford.

Discord's pegasus wing looked like a door that was barely hanging onto its hinges: droopy and obviously broken in the scrap with the nightmare. He couldn't fly, and he couldn't float fast enough to get them out of there.

The wings beat behind them as the basilisk pursued them with all its speed, squawking and lunging with its claws. Legs exhausted and burning, Discord kept running.

In the distance the spirit spotted what may be their only chance of survival: a small opening between several clusters of trees. Small enough for them to worm through, but not for the basilisk. It could fly, Discord knew, but it was their only shot.

The chaotic demon maxed his speed, taking a tremendous leap and wriggling in through the small opening, to safety.

He heard the cockerel give a mighty screech, and saw the flash of its talon through the hole, but the nightmare slunk back. Discord realized with a rush of relief that the tree tops crowded the entrance to the sky, and therefore the basilisk's only quick get-to-them.

Finally within a safe zone, nearing a calm looking cave, the utterly exhausted spirit laid down the pegasus and collapsed beside her. Through dizzy, rolling sockets, Discord slid his pupils up to the shocked, silent pony.

"Y...you know..if..if you..m-must go off in a huff a-again could you have the courtesy...to at least do it..in the safety of town next time?"

Fluttershy stared. Her emotions reaching an overwhelming peak, the pegasus burst into tears and flung her arms around his face, clinging to it like it was the last remnant in the world that mattered to her. A talon lifted to touch the younger one, but it fell in exhaustion.

"Discord..." was all the pony could get out through her sobs as the spirit eased himself to a sitting position with difficulty, the saffron bur still on his face.

"I'm sorry," Discord said, and meant it as he glanced at the wounds on her back. "The trance of a basilisk can rarely be broken unless..well..you injure the victim and cause enough pain to make them snap out of it."

His paw was as heavy as lead, and couldn't even hover over the wounds, but they weren't that deep.

The draconequus sighed as the weeping, emotional little twister kept hugging his face. He had no idea why after all he had done. He never would understand Fluttershy. Ever. Yet...she seemed to understand everything about him.

"What were you doing out here? What were you even thinking? Didn't you.." He had to stop to give another gasping pant, laying limp against the cold, stone floor. "Didn't you..even think about what could be out here at night? Granted...not even I suspected a _basilisk _of all things, b-but..."

The darkness of the cave cast over Fluttershy's expression of pure anguish, but there was just enough moonlight to illuminate the tears that continued to pour, and the watery eyes of sheer grief.

"I didn't think you'd even care.."

The cave lapsed into a thick, stinging silence as Discord took in her words with a shocked regret he didn't even bother to hide. He sighed softly, shifting himself onto his stomach and trying to reach a slightly bleeding talon towards her.

"_Fluttershy..._"

A chilling hiss suddenly once again thrust the atmosphere into silence. Discord was certain his heart gave out with a wave of dizziness and nausea as those moist, crimson eyes leered at them both from the back of the cave. Nothing could have possibly prepared him for the second pair of eyes that targeted them both.

The spirit of chaos shook his head as he backed up with the pony, giving a shaking laugh of disbelief.

"No _way..._ That's not fair! That's barely even logically _possible!_" the spirit shrieked as the twin nightmares extended from the darkness. For once, Discord wanted something to make sense!

Fluttershy's sapphire eyes were frozen in terror as she gazed into the dark, crimson orbs as they got progressively closer. The twin nightmares let out several wheezing hisses, long pointed tongues dripping with thick saliva.

Discord scrambled over the rocks, backing up on all fours. His tail nudged Fluttershy under his body, just behind a bloodied, shaking feline arm. He arched his back, fur bristling like spikes, lips curling back to reveal several rows of sharp teeth, and one particular snaggle tooth ready to draw blood from the mutants.

He outstretched a bloodied talon, igniting it in the dimmest prick of gold. The energy sparkled and fizzed to nothing, darkening the cave once more.

Nothing else to do, the spirit tucked Fluttershy back in his mouth and took a leap from the cave, tumbling down several rocks and rolling out of the way just as one of the basilisks dive bombed him, burrowing its sharp beak where the spirit's chest would have been.

Both nightmares beat their wings up into the sky, high enough that anypony in Ponyville would be able to see them as they rose over the thousands of trees and dive bombed their targets again and again.

* * *

><p>The raging battle in the midst of the forest had not gone un-noticed, and the wheezing screeches of the basilisks drew everypony from sleep and from their houses. The pulse of their wing beats created a rippling wind that breezed over Ponyville and ruffled every mane.<p>

The town watched in horror as the ebony monsters continued diving at something again and again, letting out ungodly shrieks, causing everypony to shudder violently as they exchanged looks of terror and confusion.

"Twilight, what's going on?" Spike gasped, gripping his friend around the neck, emerald eyes flashing in fear as he watched the monsters attack. Twilight, meanwhile was frozen in terror.

"Those...those are basilisks! But..how is it possible? They're shouldn't even be any around here, let alone two!"

Twilight's terror grew as the nightmares coupled their attacks and began moving closer to the edge of Everfree as, unbeknownst to her, Discord was desperately trying to inch Fluttershy and him to safety with the last bit of strength in him.

"Spike, write a letter to the princesses! Tell them we need them to immediately-" Chills like no other coursed up Twilight's spine and suddenly stopped time, as Fluttershy's resounding scream echoed through the forest.

"Fl...Fluttershy and Discord... Fluttershy and Discord! _Spike, hurry!_"

The baby dragon fumbled with his inkwell, dropping the bottle as he hastily bundled the scroll and sent it off in a portal of dragon flame.

* * *

><p>"Tia!" A certain sun alicorn was started from a slight doze against the back of her throne, as her sister's midnight hooves clopped hurriedly against the floor, nearly ramming into the older immortal. Even through sleepy, blurred eyes, the princess could see the visible roll of parchment in Luna's mouth.<p>

"Luna..? What is it?"

Celestia hopped back as the scroll was hastily shoved into her lap. Enveloping the parchment in a violet hue, Celestia carefully unrolled it. If her fur were any other color, it would have already blanched the color of her natural coat.

"A what? Twin basilisks? That is barely even logically possible!" The princess's heart skipped several beats, two names standing out to her in bold: _Discord and Fluttershy._

"Sister.." Luna's breath hitched for a few moments and she needed to exhale a few times before speaking. "If what that letter says is true and they are fighting two basilisks...then Discord has no hope. The two of _us_ against two basilisks is an even match and one that will still be difficult to win. Discord and Fluttershy will die if we don't hurry."

"And so will the rest of Ponyville," Celestia whispered, but the faces of frightened citizens and buildings burned to the ground were barely resonating through the troubled alicorn's mind. All Celestia saw was a certain draconequus, motionless and covered in blood.

"Luna..._we must move!_"

* * *

><p>The ghastly screeches of the twin nightmares sounded from above Discord, tearing holes into his sensitive ear drums, accompanied by Fluttershy's shrieks and cries of terror. The spirit's exhausted, lead eyelids slid open enough to see the monsters getting ready to dive bomb again.<p>

By this point, all Discord could really do was reach out a shaking talon to nudge Fluttershy out of the way of the incoming assault, and curl in his body enough to at least protect most of him from the razor sharp beaks. His tail was mangled by this point; the white tufts of fur were nearly pecked clean.

With baited breath, Discord raised his head, and focused pleading, vermillion eyes on the terrified pegasus at his side.

"Run..Fluttershy.." He lifted his head enough to see the nightmares getting ready to charge again. "Run..."

"Discord, I'm not leaving you!" Fluttershy sobbed, desperately tugging his ears. "I'll never leave you! Get up! We-we're almost at the exit! Please – get up!"

She watched as the nightmares beat their wings, darkening the moon as they darted in front of it, shadowing all of Ponyville, as the commoners let out horrified screams.

The cockerels dove a final time, aiming right for the barely conscious draconequus's heart.

Discord thrust his head back, slamming it into Fluttershy's chest and purposely making her tumble down the two foot cliff, and into the soft mud. The pegasus pushed herself out of the brown mush, watching on helplessly as the basilisks dove down for their kill.

A sudden sphere of white encompassed the draconequus, creating a shield of magic glass that protected both Discord and herself from the drill-like beaks of the basilisks.

Luminous, golden rings wrapped themselves gently around the fallen immortal and enveloped him fully, bringing the breath back to the spirit and healing the exhaustion in his limbs.

Wide awake and alert, Discord landed delicately back into the soft mud, eyes darting to the snow white alicorn before him in shock. "Tia!"

Celestia ignored him, soaring out of the field of an incoming wing and sending a colossal blast of purple directly at the nightmare's throat. It launched it back a few feet in the air as it screeched and brushed at its neck with its massive wings.

Discord dimly realized he was hovering in the air, and glanced down to see his mismatched hands glowing faintly. With a feral grin, the god of chaos ignited his hands in fire and performed a corkscrew dive, directly at one of the basilisk's chest. The monster flailed in the air and crashed to the ground.

"Yes! Score one for this draconequus!" Discord cheered, pumping his fists – only to withdraw them with a wince as it stretched his cuts.

A blur of white tackled him out of the range of an incoming tendril of fog from the other basilisk, and Discord winced as Celestia slammed him into the mossy grass.

"You _foal!_" the princess shouted into his face, "pay attention to what you are doing!" She didn't miss the way the brat stuck his tongue out at her, but had no time to turn it green or anything, as she needed to shove her and Discord away from another cloud of fog.

"Luna!" the alicorn shouted up to her younger sister. "The basilisks are using their magic now! Do not let those black clouds hit you! They will burn like acid! Try to lure them away from the edge of the forest, because if they see the rest of the town they'll attack!"

The youngest immortal saluted, powering an azure colored blast with her horn, and hurling it into the basilisk's eye. She gulped as the other nightmare Discord had briefly stunned rose to join its brethren.

Celestia gazed on in horror, whirling to the spirit behind her that had just pushed himself up, and shoved him onto his back again. She knew full well that the soothing spell she had cast on him hadn't quite restored his magic, and attempting any strong spells with such limited power was dangerous.

"No!" the princess growled, pointing her horn at him to intimidate the younger immortal. "You stay PUT!"

She soared up to meet her sister in the sky, ramming the twin nightmares with all the force her body could muster. The impact bruised the left half of her, but the monsters were hardly fazed.

"Luna, keep an eye on Discord!" Celestia ordered, "he has used just about all his magic and if he uses anymore, the spells will begin sapping their power from his life force! Try to get him and Fluttershy to safety and meet me back here to put an end to these things!"

Luna blinked over at a certain draconequus that had once again risen up to the nightmares, and was powering his magic for yet another attack.

Huffing in rage, the smaller alicorn swooped past the cockerel's face, grabbing her stupid, older brother by the nape of his neck and slicing through the sky at all her speed as the nightmare began to pursue her.

Discord didn't protest as much as he was dragged off this time since, hanging from Luna's mouth, he could still throw back a few blows to the nightmare chasing them, giggling as he hit it a few times square in its blood red eyes.

"Discord, enough!" Luna hissed, "you know not what you are doing, now cease attacking!"

Luna carefully descended to a lower cliff, where Fluttershy had sought refuge under a small bush. She scurried out and jumped back into Discord arms the moment Luna dropped the spirit. On his face of course.

"The two of you..head to Ponyville," Luna panted, "and for the love of Equestria, warn everypony to stay inside and lock their doors! Do _not _come-"

The night alicorn was suddenly interrupted by her sister's gasping shriek as she went careening into the base of a tree, chest slightly bloodied from where the claws had slashed her.

Igniting her horn in a burning, blow orb of flame, Luna charged at the basilisk's spiny back – only for a claw of the other one to effortlessly swat her aside, sending her crashing hard in the rocks near its cave.

Discord gasped, watching in frozen, numb shock as the nightmare scratched some dirt up with its talons, covering his younger sister in a cloud of brown dust.

The spirit watched as both nightmares directed their attention to an exhausted alicorn, her fur stained with dirt and bits of blood. Their pointed tongues flicked with pleasure and they began conjuring twin clouds of deadly black fog, aiming it straight at the white form.

Seconds before the balls of black acid touched her body, Celestia watched with half open, astonished, violet eyes as Discord stood in front of her, mismatched hands outstretched and glowing faintly, trying to hold the ball of magic in his own.

The twin nightmares caught onto this and doubled their efforts with hissing squawks, pushing Discord's heels back into the dirt with their strength. The god of chaos strained desperately as his foes' magic grew even stronger, threatening to overthrow his efforts.

Celestia watched on, shouting at the spirit to stop before the spell began draining from his life, but Discord coupled his defense, striking out either wings with the effort, and pushing against the magnetic force.

A pulse of gold suddenly shot from the spirit's body, encasing his entire form in a magnificent golden glow, as the magic spiraled forward, striking each basilisk fully. The blinding, golden flash sent a pulse of power shooting into the sky like a rocket and plummeting into each nightmare.

The basilisks collapsed with synchronized shrieks as bolts of electricity radiated from their bodies, pinning them to the earth.

Celestia watched as Discord collapsed in a motionless heap and shakily shouted over to her little sister. "NOW, LUNA! LET'S SEND THE BEASTS BACK TO TARTARUS!"

Both of the alicorn's horns began to glow and pulse with power, before streaks of violet and blue transformed into a twin beam, as they rushed together into the sky and spiraled down, hitting each beast. The moment the pulse of power touched them, they disappeared in a blinding flash and a final, echoing screech.

After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy timidly crawled out from under her bush, sliding down the soft cliff side and landing beside the alicorns. She whimpered as she laid eyes on the completely silent spirit laying by their feet.

"Is...is he...?" Fluttershy couldn't bare to say the words.

Without responding, Celestia shakily lowered her muzzle to the silent creature, and nudged his back gently with her snout. "D...Discord.." She shut her eyes and suppressed the threatening tidal wave of tears.

Just then, Discord rolled back onto his side with a loud, obnoxious snore, subconsciously slapping Celestia across the face as he turned, tongue lolled out in sleep as he gave a louder snore and folded both hands underneath his head.

Glaring at Luna's greatly amused smirk, Celestia rubbed at the red paw print on her face, inwardly grumbling and wondering if he planned to smack her in the face. None the less, she gazed down at the peaceful creature.

If he hadn't stopped the basilisks...

Her face graced with a small smile and her violet eyes aquifer with a slight twinkle, she gently eased her mouth around the scruff of his neck and, pulled his dead weight, gangly form over her back, situating him so he lay stretched, tummy down over her.

"Celestia..." Luna began softly, catching the ivory mare's attention. "That spell...was it even possible for him? I mean, without him d-"

"No," was all the princess said. And it was true.

Luna took that in for a moment and then lifted an exhausted Fluttershy over her own back, smiling up as the young pegasus just about fell asleep.

"Tia, they're both injured. I don't think we should bring them back to the cottage."

"I agree, Luna. But we cannot just leave without telling the citizens everything is alright now. Especially poor Twilight."

The two alicorns emerged from the total blackness of the forest, seeing the moonlight for the first time in an hour. To greet the confused and anxious commoners with two, sleeping, still forms over their backs must have been quite a sight.

"Citizens of Ponyville," Luna said, struggling with her instincts to use the royal voice, but she didn't want to frighten the citizens more than they already were. "Thank you all for your patience – I know you are all wondering what has happened. All that needs to be said is that the danger is gone and you may all return to your homes at once."

"Princess!" Twilight charged towards Celestia, nearly knocking her mentor over, as she rapidly nuzzled her chest – only to pull back with a cry when her snout was coated in a thin layer of blood. "A-are you okay?"

"Fine, Twilight," Celestia gritted out. That nuzzle didn't feel too good in an open wound.

She caught the quivering guilt in her child's eyes and gently pulled her back into her. "We're all alright now and everypony is safe, but we must get to the palace immediately."

She shivered at the touch of a drop of blood dripping down her side from Discord's hanging claw.

"I-I understand," Twilight whispered, backing up as her exhausted mentors' horns glowed a final time that night, teleporting them all in a faint, soft hue.

* * *

><p>There was nothing but silence when Discord's ears had awaken from their slumber, twitching at the sound of nothing whereas he was so accustomed to hearing bunny snores, the sound of crickets, and often feel the tickle of a certain, pink mane on his neck.<p>

_Fluttershy!_

Discord's eyes snapped open, but were greeted with total darkness. As he let his mismatched pupils adjust, they fell on the distinctive sight of a long tube dipped into his skin on his left arm. He shuddered, following it back to a bag of fluids being pumped into him.

Reaching down with a bandaged claw, he discovered the metal rails around the hospital room, and noted the room was pure white. There was nothing around him but a wall and a large curtain.

Discord whisked aside the white curtain, talon slowly falling numbly to his side when his eyes took in the sight of a small, sleeping pegasus bandaged in several areas, and on IV as well.

Gripping the pole holding up the IV bag, Discord carefully rolled it along with him as he stood beside her bed.

Sleepy, sapphire eyes flickered open, focusing onto the dejected spirit at her side, his ears back, his eyes on the ground in front of her.

"D...Discord?" She sat up with a small wince, grazing a hoof over her bandaged wing she hadn't even realized was cut until now. He didn't lift his head and she reached out a gentle hoof to rest on his arm. He shrugged it off, and for once, it wasn't because of his intolerance to sentiment.

"This is...all my fault." It was. Everything always was and Discord always reveled in that, because it was supposed to be his fault. He caused it, he caused the chaos, madness, and trouble, and loved it. For the first time, since that fatal night eons ago, Discord didn't want this to be his fault.

Fluttershy touched his arm again and he didn't bother to shrug it off this time. "It is..not your fault. It's mine for wandering off in the first place.."

The spirit let off a bitter snort, eyes narrowing hatefully at himself, wishing the basilisk had beaten the snot out of him. Well, it had. "And what made you run off?" She fell silent. "That's what I thought."

"I really just meant to go for a walk and see my old animal friends," the pegasus said softly, frightened at the sight of the tube in her arm, which just made Discord's heart further constrict.

"I was going to be back shortly. I just...needed some time to think. I should never have done...everything I did without telling you."

The spirit distantly gazed out the window, eyes slightly widening as his mismatched orbs suddenly found themselves locked onto Celestia's from where she was standing at the edge of the balcony. The two wordlessly stared at each other for several seconds, faces expressionless.

"You...you just wanted to help." He chuckled quietly, looking almost sheepish. "It's just been so long since anypony has wanted to help me that it took a while to see that. But dearest Killer Sparkle gave me, shall we say, a little nudge~"

The two looked at each other for a moment in silence and then Fluttershy extended her hooves to the spirit, a hopeful lilt to her voice. "..H..hug?"

Discord blinked for a few moments, before that familiar Discord mirth came back to his shiny, scarlet eyes, washing away the rest of the sentiment as he smirked.

"Oh, psssh, get real! I think this draconequus has had just about as much fuzzy warmth as he can take tonight!" He shuddered. "_Eugh._"

The pegasus only gave a soft giggle, easing herself back onto her side and snuggling into her pillow.

Discord glanced from her to his hospital bed all the way on the other side of the room, and he paused, lighting his talon dimly in the dark. Instantly, a large, pink cloud appeared underneath him.

"Y-you shouldn't use magic," Fluttershy squeaked uncertainly. "I heard the princesses say that you can't use anymore tonight."

"Oh, pfft, who made them rules of the world?...Wait." The pony beside him giggled. Throwing up his un-tubed talon in exasperation, the spirit fell into the cloud right beside the pegasus's bed.

Everything lapsed into silence for a few more moments, to the point where the draconequus was beginning to doze off once more, until a tiny voice spoke up:

"...You saved my life."

Mismatched eyes slid open, and when they looked at the pegasus now they were annoyed. He meant what he said when he told her he couldn't bear anymore love for the night. Ew.

Fluttershy uttered a squeak as he reached out and pushed her onto her other side, away from his face. He turned away from her with a grumble. He felt her shift herself onto the cloud. Oh joy. She pressed her snout against his side and nuzzled it softly.

"...I love you."

His eyes shot open at that and a different feeling entwined around his indifferent heart, coating it in a soft, ruby hue. He gazed back at the window, focusing his eyes on the silver moon outside the palace.

He knew he would never be able to say what she wanted him to say, but little did he know, he said all she needed to hear:

"...I know you do. I..I know you do."

* * *

><p><em>(First of all, I got the basilisk idea and the fact the victim needed to be injured in another way to snap it out of the trance from my favorite book EVER: "Dragon Rider"<em>

_Second of all, this chapter was hell AND fun to write. I friggin love basilisks and badass Discord, so I loved that part._

_But by far, my favorite part was the ending with Discord and Fluttershy. And you HAVE to listen to the "One Family" - Tarzan soundtrack when you get to the hospital scene. If you've already read it...well...READ IT AGAIN AND LISTEN TO THIS!_

_It may be a while til the next chapter is submitted because school is REALLY picking up and it's not all planned._

_Next chapter synopsis: After recovering from the basilisk battle, with love and encouragement from Fluttershy, Discord decides to at last come clean with his once-love and sister of what really happened to the king and queen of Equestria. But is it too late to rebuild the shattered bonds?)  
><em>


	13. Chapter 13

_The feathers on its head stood like pointed, needle sharp spikes, looking ready to draw blood. Rather than turn away, the hapless spirit found himself captivated in the basilisk's stare, but it wasn't because the nightmare was luring him into a trance._

_The basilisk suddenly seemed taller, towering high above Everfree's trees and making them look like children's' little playthings. Its sharp talon was curled around the completely still, white form as it slowly tried to crush her. The spirit watched with frozen eyes as its talons pushed into her skin, probing it experimentally. Suddenly, the tip of the claws broke through into her flesh and Discord noted she gave a weak twitch._

_He whipped his head over towards another one of the monsters, staring as it held a limp, saffron figure in between its sharp pointed beak and clamped down on her lightly, tauntingly as if she was a squeeze toy. One that had no life left to her._

_Lastly, the spirit stared at the third nightmare that had a certain midnight blue alicorn trapped in its wing, somewhere under a sea of feathers. Discord could barely see the limp, rag doll like legs hanging there._

_As the nightmares prepared to rip into their prize the god unleashed a powerful snarl and fought to lunge at them, tear out their hearts and stuff it down their throats. He couldn't move. Every appendage was frozen in the air, in an eternal pouncing position. Discord tried to scream, but found his lips suddenly sealed as well._

_The draconequus could only watch as the three equines were literally ripped apart in front of his very eyes. His attention was suddenly averted by the poker hot pain in his side as another basilisk pierced its beak into his flesh. Discord inwardly screamed and emitted strangled cries, but his lips stayed locked like a door._

_The piercing stab continued to penetrate through his side and at last the god emitted a pitiful scream, flailing there on the spot as he finally managed to fade into a vibrant, white light._

_xxxxxxxx  
><em>

"Sir! _Sir, wake up!_"

Pain still piercing against his side, the spirit unleashed a loud yowl, his leg flailing and nearly bucking the doctor in the face as the burning poking worsened. Still somewhat trapped in his subconscious, the spirit's barely open eyes saw what he perceived to be the bleary image of a basilisk.

It was really a disgruntled doctor with a sewing needle in between his teeth that he was carefully guiding through a stitch that had torn open during the spirit's night time thrashing. His beige horn flashed briefly, and a light encased and slammed down the spirit's limbs so he could continue working.

Whimpering and yowling up a storm, Discord shut his eyes and ground his teeth together, pulling his eyes away from the grim sight of the needle and instead directing them to an empty cot. The nightmare still fresh on his mind, he panicked.

"Where in Equestria is Fluttershy?" A claw broke free of its immobile state and harshly jerked the doctor to his face, baring his teeth at him threateningly. "What did you do to her?"

The doctor's back hooves flailed futilely in the air, scrambling them against nothing as he tried to touch the ground and pull out of the tight hold.

"I did nothing to her, sir! She's outside in the gardens getting some exercise! Her highness sent me to take you outside as well, but I saw the wound you ripped open with all your thrashing and tended to that first!" His voice became a weak, feeble little squeak as Discord's grip tightened.

The spirit unleashed his claws from where they were burrowed in the physician's neck, thoughtlessly dropping him back on the floor and turning his eyes on the window. A talon rose to propel his cloud-bed to the window, but he could barely manage a single gold spark.

When the entity looked over at him for clarification, the doctor spoke meekly from behind his clipboard. "Her majesty confiscated all of your power until you are well. She says using too much magic right now and over-exerting it can be very dangerous."

_How very considerate of you, Tia. NOT!_

What, it wasn't good enough that she had him bedridden in a dingy white room so she had to take away all of his sense of fun as well? No conjuring bouquets of flowers for his bedside to squirt honey in the nurses faces as they came to check on him? No making the clipboards come alive and run away?

The draconequus muttered angrily to himself as he slid out of the hospital bed and landed gingerly on his feet in a crouching position. As he rose to stand tall, he only fell back onto all fours with a wince, unable to stand and stretch the injuries.

He padded quietly over the tile floor towards the window, perching tentatively on his injured tail and peering out.

There she was in a patch of chrysanthemums, lying carefully on her stomach, her saffron covered hoof tracing a butterfly as it fluttered above her. A wing was bandaged and carefully tucked into her body and there was gauze taped to her back and foreleg, but she was alright.

The spirit gazed at his own injuries, experimentally probing them with the tip of his feline paw. He was a little worse off than her, but the minor cuts paled in comparison to the past year of broken bones, deep lacerations, punctured lungs – eugh.

"Sir!" the doctor shrieked in alarm and dropped his clipboard as the chaotic demon perched on the windowsill on all fours, getting ready to leap out of it. "This is not what the princess meant by exercising! Not once did she say to jump out a window—you don't even know if she left you able to float! You could end up-"

The physician was cut off, giving a grunt as Discord's tail slapped him in the face as he descended out of the hospital window, rising back up into the sky.

Giddily, Discord zigzagged through the sky, enjoying the fresh air. The wind stung the cuts underneath his bandages, but it was a small sacrifice to make for the price of freedom and fun.

The draconequus spotted his butter colored and rosette target below him and took a plunge, diving into the sea of chrysanthemums with a small, pink explosion of fluff.

Fluttershy spluttered and coughed, her snout wrinkling in protest to the bomb of pollen that just went off. After giving a few dainty little sneezes, she wiped her watery eyes and gazed down at the lounging draconequus, whose scarlet pupils were sparkling with mirth.

"Oh, Discord!" the pegasus giggled, giving the yellow speckled face a gentle nuzzle. "When did you get up?"

"Doctor Rudes'alot awoke me from an absolutely..._pleasant _dream," the spirit said sarcastically, sucking the nectar out of a flower bud and contemplating the dehydrated morsel before gobbling it. "So I decided to see what my favorite pony was up to~!"

The pegasus gazed at a blossom she spun in her hoof with a profound look on her face. "When I was little and whenever I was sad Mummy took me to our flower garden and it always made me feel better. I figured, well, coming to a garden as beautiful as this one would make me feel even happier."

_Bleeech, how nauseatingly sweet and so predictable._"I for one always enjoyed some nice chaos when I was sad. Sadly, that isn't going to happen today." The spirit bitterly glanced at his out-of-commission talon and dropped it to his side with a pout.

Fluttershy sympathetically nuzzled up against her companion's side and gazed worriedly at his non-glowing hands. She had heard his magic had been taken away while he recovered (and it was in fact one of the reasons she wanted to be out of the room when he awoke, not wanting to witness the bloodshed that would take place), and he wouldn't get it back for a while.

"Anything...chaotic you can think of that doesn't involve magic in some way?"

"Not really," he mumbled glumly, face buried in the flowers – only to withdraw with a snort as he nearly snuffed a beetle up his nostril. "Almost everything I do involves conjuring something for some reason. Chocolate rain needs a cotton candy cloud, a hallway to litter with banana peels needs lots of banana peels, unless I can find somepony to eat, like, twenty of them. And what about my cotton candy and sweets?"

A smirk twitched at Fluttershy's butter colored lips as she teasingly probed at his spongy, candy filled belly, grinning as he squirmed and glared at her. "I think a little diet could benefit you... You've gained a bit of weight."

The spirit went slack jaw and his lips turned up in a sneer. "I wouldn't speak so brashly, my little pony," he warned ominously, his tail creeping up behind her. "I can make do without my powers."

Oblivious to the tail inches away from her, the pegasus cheerfully continued with the comforting notion that he could do nothing to her. "Perhaps I should put you on the diet myself!" She collapsed in squealing giggles as his tail feathered her bottom hooves with what remained of the white tufts of fur.

Laughing, Fluttershy rolled onto her back and curled her body out of range of the tormenting fluff as it darted over her quivering skin. "Stop it!" She tried trapping it under a hoof, but he easily slid the fur out.

"Oh, I think not." The entity chortled, zigzagging through the air and giving chase to his butter colored prey as she attempted to make a getaway through the flowers. "I may not have my powers, but this tail—perfect for tickling the tummies of ponies with~!"

Fluttershy instantly squealed with a giggling lilt of laughter and took off galloping through the flowers as the impish spirit eagerly flew after her.

Higher, perched at the very end of the marble balcony with her hooves over the rungs was a certain sun alicorn basking in the sun, letting the warm rays cast a glow on her mane. She gazed with ever watchful, violet eyes as the two smaller forms wrestled in the flowers before her.

From beside her, Luna gave a snort. "'Tis quite a sight, is it not, sister? Although I can't remember the last time I saw Discord...so happy."

And that Celestia had to agree with. Gazing down at those mismatched eyes with irises sparkling more joyously than Celestia was sure they could, the princess found herself giving a longing sigh. How long had it been had she seen him so happy without tormenting anypony? Well, he _was _chasing the poor girl with a feathery, tickly tail of doom.

"Endearing sight, it is...not something we see every day," Luna murmured wistfully and watched as Fluttershy had somehow gained the upper hoof and forced the draconquus to the ground. Both seemed completely unmindful of their injuries.

Celestia heaved a sigh, tone dipping to exasperation and then taking on the customary royal-authority as she shouted down at the idiotic duo. "You two, cease this at once! You were both given _stitches _last night! Back to your room—the both of you!"

The rustles of the flowers ceased and two confused heads poked out from where both Discord and Fluttershy were locked in a weird grappling, headlock position. As they gazed up at the alicorn's stern frown, they heaved sighs of disappointment. Discord's was notably angrier. An expected reaction.

Mismatched arms folded over his chest, the spirit casually ascended up and hovered above the balcony. He raised an eyebrow as Luna backed up and lowered her horn warningly at him. Discord paid her not even a glance.

"Ah, morning, dearest Tia," the entity sneered, a bitter scowl as clear as day on his face. "So not only do you decide to rip away the pathetically small amount of powers you gave to me, but now I can't even play with the little butter flutter?"

Even as the childish colt attempted to hurt her with his glare and venom in his words, Celestia was unmoved from her decision. "You can go ahead and play with Fluttershy. You can play with her all day if you want, but when you start tumbling and somersaulting is where I draw the line. If you can't abide by the rules I set, then back to your room you go."

Discord's sneer widened and he barer his sharp fangs at the alicorn as his glare became ever more defiant and vehement. "And who in Equestria made you the boss of me?" he demanded snippily, "I can take care of myself just fine."

"O, villainous wretch," Luna seethed between her teeth, "Our sister hath command on the entire kingdom, which includes thou ungrateful worm. Obey our sister."

"I never asked for the opinion of Celestia's shadow," the spirit said nastily, and drew back half in alarm and half in satisfaction as Celestia needed to strike out a wing to keep her sister from tearing out his throat. "And look who's talking about ungrateful. Who saved who's flank in battle again~?"

Both sisters exchanged wordless gazes, and turned back to Discord. Luan was still livid, but she was calmer now, silent even. Celestia just frowned sternly once more.

"To your room, Discord."

In case the god decided to protest her further, the butts of spears were suddenly jabbed into his back from where a few guards had decided to surround them. Had this been any other five seconds, Discord would have loved to disobey, to reverse any orders that the darling Princess of Frump said and turn it into something fun and ridiculously humiliating for his benefit. It was his duty, after all, to create chaos.

But, as he peered around the army of guards, reaching out to give one of the overly sharp-headed spears a slight prod with his talon, he quickly realized that he didn't want to end up with more holes than a slice of swiss cheese.

Celestia waited until both Discord and the guards were well out of earshot before chiding her sister. "Luna, you must stop this! You cannot go all killer mode every time he says something to upset you! Look at everything Discord has said to me and I've lashed out maybe once."

"Sister, it's when he says things about you that I lose it!" the midnight alicorn protested. "The vile beast—I don't see why we never put him back in stone where he belongs. Actually, where he really belongs is behind the gates of Tartar-"

"Luna," Celestia cut in gently, frowning painfully at the heartbroken, enraged immortal. "Be aware of what you are saying. He was once your brother."

At that the blue ears pinned back and the azure eyes shone with repressed tears as the grief-stricken princess turned from her older sister and barely said in a whisper before she departed: "and never shall he be so again."

xxxxxxxx

"Do you really expect me to eat that—what in Equestria do you call it?"

Discord held the metal bowl of brown and lumpy concoction safely at arm's length, so its nauseating stench of old socks and cheese hadn't a way to assault his nostrils and it had no chance of melting off his face either. He hoped.

"It is food, sir," the doctor told him flatly, no longer trying to maintain a respectful and calm tone with the infuriating brat, to put it quite bluntly. "It's your dinner."

"I...I think it's _moving_." That earned exasperated glares from both a certain pegasus by his bedside and the miffed physician as he angrily slammed the bowl down. "I really do think it's moving!"

"Discord...it is not moving," Fluttershy sighed, placing an empathetic hoof on the physician's coat clad shoulder. "I am very sorry, sir. Believe me; he does this with my food as well. He...well, he does it with any food that isn't candy."

"Well, as customary," the chagrined stallion huffed quietly, "he gets dessert after his dinner."

"How wonderful," Discord responded sarcastically, his lips turned upwards in a sneer as he probed at the small tin containing his dessert. "What is it, a bran muffin with worms?" His laughter gave off to a yelp as his annoyed guardian gave him a swat.

"Discord, behave yourself," Fluttershy admonished like a stern mother, wagging her hoof in the pouting face. "I'm sure whatever the doctor has is very delicious."

"Ha! Right," the spirit rudely snorted and floated above his cotton candy cloud, mismatched arms lounging behind his head. "I'll bet you fifty bits that the food you're giving the other patients is a paradise with whipped cream and cherries and sprinkles, compared to what you're giving me."

The doctor spoke through clenched teeth: "_No_, sir. We are feeding our patients the exact same food from the exact same place-"

"-the dumpster~?"

"Discord!" Fluttershy scolded the entity harshly and pointed a hoof towards the corner of the hospital room. "Go sit in the corner, mister!"

The childish spirit ignored the mumbles and growls of the doctor and the annoying, high and squeaky reprimanding of his guardian as he dropped back on all fours and crawled his way to the windowsill in search of something actually edible.

His wandering eyes fell on the creamy orange colored spheres hanging delicately from a luscious peach tree just off the side of the garden where the chrysanthemums were. The warnings from his guardian to "get back here right now" falling deaf on his ears, Discord jumped from the window right as the pegasus took a swipe to grab him.

Fuming, Fluttershy took to the skies as well, soaring behind the male as he vanished through a bushel of emerald colored leaves and attached to the branches like a giggling tick.

"Oh, you are lucky I don't have my duster with me," Fluttershy huffed in annoyance, "what are you—YAH!"

The branches that were unable to bear the mass weight of a gangly spirit splintered and snapped off, sending both the hanging upside down Discord and the peaches slamming into the hapless girl below.

Discord showed no concern, munching noisily on his juicy prize as he sat on the groaning pegasus's back. "Thanks for breaking the fall, Flutter Butter~!"

Fluttershy flailed and drummed her hooves against the earth, but in the end she just decided to resign to let her spine and ribs be crushed as Discord treated her like a couch...and also dripped peach juice all over her.

"They should really serve this kind of thing more at that hospital," Discord said, his voice muffled from where his entire _face _was nearly buried into the juicy meat of the peach. He tore chunks off with his teeth and spurted tangy juice everywhere.

"So much for the etiquette lessons I tried to teach you," Fluttershy murmured softly, watching as her preaching on ' table manners' went straight out the window as he continued to sloppily chew at the fruit in his palm.

"Etiquette? How _drawl._" He finished the peach, dropping the bone dry pit into the grass and flopping onto his stomach with a lazy smile on his face. Peach juice was matted all in his fur, even behind his horns. "Ah, that tasted delightful~! I never realized fruit not turned into candy could taste so good!"

"Maybe if you give it a chance now and then and stop turning it into candy you'll see the natural sweetness is just as delicious," Fluttershy suggested, climbing up on the multi beast's stretched out neck.

"Maybe, maybe not. Once in a while I suppose I could, but it wouldn't be particularly fun if I did so all the time." Discord blinked as Fluttershy's pink tongue lapped through his fur, outsing the peach juice staining it and smoothing back his messy mane.

"Eugh!" the god gagged as the maternal pony groomed his stylishly messy mane down like a mother cat cleaning her kitten. "Fluttershy, this is completely unacceptable!" He winced as the pink tongue licked his forehead, mussing his fur.

"How did you get peach juice in your eyebrows?"

"Talent~!"

The spirit laid with his cheek pressed against the soft grass and let the little pegasus on his head continue cleaning him. As...drooly and nauseatingly sweet as it was, it almost felt like a nice head massage.

"...Discord?" The spirit under her had stopped shifting in the flowers, an indication he was listening to her. "Can I talk to you?" She squeaked as he rolled over, causing her to go toppling.

"Of course, my dear! What shall we discuss? Oh, how about 'why cotton candy doesn't grow on trees?'" He turned to the side to grin goofily at his little companion, only to note in disappointment and annoyance that she was shifting uncomfortably on her hooves.

"...Hmph. If you must be so serious," the draconequus grumbled and flopped back onto his belly, his mismatched arms crossed. "Shoot."

It seemed to take about an hour for the stuttery little pegasus to respond, and Discord was ready to snap at her to come out with it or clam up when she finally spoke.

"Are you...ever going to talk to Celestia and Luna about...'it?'" 'It' was all that needed to be said as the poisonous memory caused the draconequus to shoot up and send poor Fluttershy toppling back into the flowers.

A wry and bitter smirk crossed the twisted muzzle, his eyes evidently harder and cool looking. "I see...so I was correct in my assumption that you don't care about me—because if you did," he cut her off before she could speak, "you would not allow me to go and commit my own suicide. They'll kill me and you know it."

"Discord...you know better than that," Fluttershy softly admonished as she probed at his side gently and leaned over his face to look into his eyes. "They wouldn't ever do that and you know it." She wasn't entirely certain, but she still hoped she may be right.

"Fluttershy...I...I can't. It's been thousands of years and it's a secret I'm intent to taking to my grave."

"And what about the nightmares?" Fluttershy challenged him. "You want to take those to your grave as well? Do you ever want them to stop?"

...That pony played dirty. The spirit slid annoyed scarlet up to glance at her and begrudgingly nodded after a few moments. He did. These nightmares had been plaguing his heart and mind for months and each grew harder to bear.

"I..." He sighed and shakily stood to dust off the pollen and juice from his gangly body. If just to put the pegasus's mind at ease, he'd fabricate a lie. "I'll tell them."

xxxxxxxx

It was nearly a week before Discord even considered talking to the princesses. He would constantly shrug it off or pretend to feel faint from his injuries whenever Fluttershy brought the subject up. The nightmares continued to haunt him as well, becoming even more brutal and the replaying murder of eons ago was now coupled with basilisks and two certain prissy princesses getting ripped apart.

Celestia seemed to just simply _adore _her 'mother-hen' role. He knew she just loved to be able to order him around; order him to bed, order him to take his medications, order him to stop playing too roughly outside, and had her guards with spears on the ready if he decided to defy her. He defies Fluttershy and he gets tickled. He defies Celestia and he gets threatened to be paraded on a pike.

As much as the god hated it, he knew he couldn't hate her too much since the ever kind, benevolent ruler had granted him back a small portion of his magic after only a week. And oh, the doctors that had to constantly submit to getting pitchers of water poured on them, having their own sedatives come alive and jab them in the flanks (he got massively threatened with bodily harm from Celestia if he did that again) just _loved _her for it.

The spirit spent less and less time with Fluttershy as all the stupid pony wanted to talk about was getting him 'reconciled' with the princesses. Didn't she understand that there was just no reconciling? There were no fixing things? She probably didn't.

None the less, the nightmares finally pushing him over the edge, Discord found he had ultimately no choice but to finally, after thousands of years, talk to Celestia.

The wet grass squelched under his mismatched feet as the evening dew moistened the blades and the silver moon blanketed the earth in a dim glow. He could easily see her ghost white form on the darkened hill. She appeared to be having a solitary tea party. No, actually. Visibly, there was a small purple bear perched on the blanket beside her...and it even had its own little cup. It was like she was five years old again.

Discord didn't even need to get closer to recognize the bear. It was worn and tattered and its button eye was hanging by a thread, barely even attached. A bit of pink still tinged the area on its foot from where Discord had gotten it sticky with cotton candy when they were younger.

_It doesn't even look...like she's ever cleaned the foot. _He had given her the bear when she was ten. She had slept with it, even as a teenager. He teased her constantly when they were adolescents, telling her she was too big to sleep with a teddy. She always responded that she wanted to keep a part of him close to her always.

_Make this harder for me, why don't you, Tia..._

Trying not to show the sight of her playing with that bear caused him to lose an iota of valor, Discord appeared in front of the startled Celestia in a flash and gave her his infamous, taunting Discord smirk.

"Evening, my dear." For some reason, he didn't feel right tormenting her about the teddy bear. She wasn't even bothering to hide it and just stared at him with cool, even eyes. "Having a little tea party?"

"I'm not in the mood, Discord. What do you want?" Her mane was ruffled and seemed rather lack-luster as opposed to what it normally looked like. She seemed exhausted and depressed. A hoof tucked around the teddy bear in case Discord decided to do something to it.

"I just came to chat." There wasn't even a playful or mocking lilt to his voice. It was actually dead serious...and that wasn't like him. Of course, it wasn't like her to sit there in the open and have a tea party with her teddy bear either.

"...Only if it's important."

The draconequus tried to sit down, but found settling himself calmly to be impossible. He resolved to just twitching and spasming there in the sky, at her side. "I think this is. There is...something I've been meaning to discuss with you for a while."

There was no point in beating around the bush. Discord did find it fascinating that he wasn't having an anxiety attack, stammering, or having a heart attack. Of course this could just be the first signs of hysterics: calmness.

"Do you know how Twilight injured me?"

The look that Celestia shot him as she whipped her head towards him was terrifying. It wasn't angry or even conspicuous looking, but there was just...something about it that had Discord's panicked mind wondering if she knew what he was going to say next.

"Of course; she used forbidden magic; she used...A..._Alicorn's Power..._" Notably, the princess's voice choked a little when she uttered the demonic book's title, as if she knew of the atrocities it had committed.

"D...do you know how many times that book has been used?" His voice was barely a frightened whisper, eyes shut, just waiting for her to catch on. She always knew how to see right through him; it was a wonder how he managed to keep the biggest secret of his life from her.

"...Possibly a few."

_Easy Discord...you can do this, ol' boy. You've been through worse._ When? When had anything been worse than having to confess the murder of his own parents to their daughter and one he once loved more than anything? Oh yes...actually _killing _his parents had been worse than this.

He took a few panting breaths, suddenly finding his eyes blurry as the threat (or maybe in this case, respite) of unconsciousness threatened to take him under. Yes, that would work. He faints, Celestia gets the medics, he goes back to his room and the nightmares continue over and over and over again.

"How...how many times do you think the book has been used?"

She turned to him again. There wasn't a trace of emotion on her face. "Are you finally coming clean?"

_Crack._

The spirit had no idea if that sound was his sanity or the world that he knew shattering. Everything suddenly seemed to fall apart and his surroundings swirled in a distort of rainbow, melting and puddling at his feet. Nothing seemed to exist other than the alabaster mare before him and there was no sound other than the pounding in his ears.

"...What?"

Celestia acted as if they were merely talking about the weather, casually shrugging her shoulders to the spirit about to go comatose in shock and fear. "I said are you finally coming clean?"

There were a lot of things that went through Discord's pulsating head and many syllables that died on his tongue. His vermillion eyes remained frozen and unblinking and he was glued to the wet grass. He stared.

"...You know?"

Anger began to surface and the princess's eyes hatefully darkened. A sneer turned up her lips as she stood before the creature. "I've always known. I've known since the day it happened. I've known since you did it. I've known since you killed them. I was the one to see the golden shell of magic outlining their bodies. Even before you tried to take the throne I knew it was you."

The god's knees buckled and he collapsed to them in the grass, barely managing to shoot down his pale arms to hold himself up as he absorbed her words in pure, unadulterated shock. How? How could she know? How could anypony know? Why hadn't she ever said anything?

"You...you never even...said anything-"

"And what good would that have done?" the princess demanded coldly, her tongue lashing into his heart like a serpent, instilling more fear into him than any basilisk in the land ever could. "What was the point of mentioning it to you? You had killed them, and whether it was accidental or not, that's all there is to it."

"You..." The entity suddenly shot into the air, gripping and tearing at his fur in agony, as if he was the one that had been betrayed. Confessing to his former best friend and love of his life that he had killed her mother and father and _he _felt betrayed.

"You _knew!_" he cried, pointing an accusing finger to the still, silent mare. "You always _knew!_" It was the only trembling phrase he seemed able to choke out as he continued pointing at her. "You..._knew!_"

"So we've established," the alicorn snarled at him, horn lowered and poised if need be. "Yes! I've always _known!_" She was shouting now, getting out the years of repressed anger and pain. "I've known since the day you killed them! Everypony in the palace at that time knew! Your oh-so 'well hidden' secret is known by everypony that lived in that palace during that time!"

"Then..." Discord shut his eyes. "Then Luna..?"

"Luna doesn't know. I ordered the servants to keep her out of the room at that time, at least until the evidence you had been there was cleared completely. When she finally saw them there wasn't a trace of gold around their dead bodies."

Discord's numb and ice cold shock began to gradually wear off as he stared down at the alicorn. The strings of his sanity were suddenly tugged and yanked as the approach of madness began to set in as Discord gave her a malicious smile. "Sister of the year award, Celestia!" he sang, extending his arms in a grand gesture.

Both were completely unaware to the silent, attentive blue mare on the balcony above them as Discord continued to speak. "What a wonderful secret to keep from your little sister! Actually not telling her who killed her own parents!"

"You'd rather I'd have told her that her own _brother _was responsible for their murder?" the princess shot back, uneasy by the insane grin on the draconequus's face as she ignited her horn in case she'd need to attack.

"Everypony may have known about their murder, Discord, but if it weren't for me you'd be _dead _right now! It's because of me that nopony else found out about your ultimate atrocity! I was the one that sheltered you all these years! I gave them all orders to keep silent! I hid every history book that had anything on their deaths in the back of the library and I ordered Honey Dew to keep the details out of the book!"

"Oh and why?" the entity sneered, slithering closer to the quaking mare. "You wanted to be the one to tell them, dear? Tell the future story of how you defeated the monster and avenged your parents?"

"You foul, ungrateful _foal!_" the princess spat hatefully, "everything I did I did to protect _you!_ I never let the secret out of the palace because I knew the country would want you bound and given to _them _if they found out! I saved your life!"

"Did you~?" Discord sang in a chilling voice as he sliced through the air and ignited his palms in crackling embers. He held them over his head and his mad grin widened and his eyes grew wild as the mare charged a flow of violet electricity in her own horn.

"Or did you just want to kill me _yourself!_" He unleashed the torrent of fire and the smoldering streaks of gold and orange ignited the picnic blanket into a mass of crackling flames, missing the princess by an inch.

"You treacherous snake! I did everything for _you!_" She bolted up into the sky to join him, sending off the wave of electricity, which racked his entire frame and caused his muscles to spasm uncontrollably as the white hot sparks burned his fur.

"And yet you never did anything to _stop them!_" the god choked, his voice rigged with tearless sobs as he prepared to fire once more in grief. "You knew Mother and Father were going to banish me! You knew and you never even _tried!_ You traitor! You sided with them! You agreed with them! You were ready to thrust me out of the entire kingdom and you claim you _**did it for me!**_"

A colossal burst of flames ignited the grass and a nearby tree, illuminating the black night in a raging, orange glow as the flames engulfed the entire tree and its surroundings.

"You are the traitor! You went behind my back to conspire to get rid of me! You used the Elements on me even knowing it could kill me, which was what you were probably aiming for! You kept this from me for over a thousand years! You sided with them! You never loved me and neither did they—I refuse to put up with your lies any longer!"

The mad spirit's entire form was engulfed in a sudden brilliant glow as fire seemed to emanate from every direction and created the screeching whine fireworks made as they ripped into the trees and gardens, igniting everything around the two in fire.

"Discord, cease this at once!" Celestia cried out in terror as the beams continued to brighten with a dangerous amount of power his weakened body and magic couldn't sustain. "You're going to kill yourself!"

"And so let me!" the spirit screeched as he hurled rapid flames at the princess before him. She was no longer attacking the grief stricken immortal, instead surrounding herself in a glittering ring of magic as she absorbed the hits, pleading with the insane spirit to stop.

"Please!" the princess cried desperately, encasing the spirit in a purple hue to still him, only to find she had no chance of undermining the intense magic as it lashed out in rage. "Please, stop this! Calm down! Please, Discord—I just want to talk to you!"

The pulse of flames coupled with a sudden bolt of electricity that slammed into a tree and nearly encompassed the princess as she dodged and begged the distraught creature to calm down. She tackled him desperately, slamming the draconequus into the earth and fighting to restrain him. With a sudden burst of shimmering gold he was free and she was on her back, charred from the blast.

"_You told the servants to try and kill me and I know you did! You wanted the Elements to kill me and you wanted me stoned forever! You wanted me to die when Twilight used that spell and you wanted me to die under that greenhouse! Admit it all and enough of these mind games!"_

"You have gone mad!" Celestia sobbed, bleeding from where the burns had singed through her skin. "You have lost your mind! Go to your room and calm down! Please, Discord, I'm not angry! Discord, it's me!"

Celestia could hardly see anything through the choking smoke as the hill around her burned and blasts continued to engulf surrounding trees and destroy the flower beds as several animals fled for their lives.

Two violet pulses unleashed from the princess's horn and enveloped Discord's struggling hands as the feral creature thrashed and snarled and screeched. She pulled him from the smoke, holding him restrained in front of her.

"_RELEASE ME! RELEASE ME, YOU HEARTLESS WITCH!_"

The wild and dangerous entity prepared for a fight as Celestia held him inches away from her pain and tear streaked face, her horn alight and pulsating with power. She extinguished the burning flames in his palms and Discord struggled, preparing for her horn to gore him through the face.  
>Time had suddenly stopped as the power surrounding Celestia's horn completely diminished and her velvet soft hooves gently wrapped themselves around Discord's twitching wrists as he suddenly found himself shielded and draped under her silk wings.<p>

It was there the struggling ceased, his arms falling to his sides and his body beginning to heave and tremble as the madness faded from his mind, leaving the emotional shell weak and vulnerable without time to prepare for the sudden sobs that racked him as the princess's arms held him close.

"...Dearest Discord," the alicorn whispered as she rested her cheek on the shaking spirit's shoulder and let her tears drip into his fur. "You have repressed this anger and this pain...for over a _thousand years..._You have never allowed yourself a proper outlet for your grief and you never allowed yourself to feel pain. There is no shame in the tears you shed."

Face buried deep in the princess's fur, drenching it and muffling the uncontrollable weeping, Discord couldn't even process her words through the jumbled mess that was once his thoughts as he clutched to the alicorn for the first time after thousands of years.

Celestia's horn quietly began to glow and shot a shimmering beam into the clouds as they began to gently douse the land in a gentle shower and extinguish the flames leaping from every leaf around them.

The two were completely unmindful to the silhouette of a smaller alicorn disappearing out of the balcony above them as they laid there in each other's arms, with only the soothing echo of rain to accompany them and a certain charred, but very much intact purple stuffed bear pressed against both their bodies.

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_(_I have died everyday waiting for you  
>Darling don't be afraid I have loved you<br>For a thousand years  
>I'll love you for a thousand more...<em>)_


	14. Chapter 14

Discord's ear twitched to the faint sound of scribbling beside him. He could still feel the soft and comforting wing of the alicorn blanketing and protecting him. Dimly, the god realized he was cuddling something furry. Perceiving it to be Celestia, he opened his eyes – only to find he had a certain purple teddy bear snuggled up under his chin.

"Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well?" Celestia bent her head to lightly nuzzle her snout into the dozy spirit's bed fur.

Discord moaned and rubbed at his burning eyes. They were still incredibly puffy and red from the night's mass breakdown. For a moment, the spirit found himself wondering if it had all truly happened, until he touched his tender eyes.

"Ugh. Last night actually happened? I actually just...bawled like a baby? How embarrassing." He let out a loud yelp of pain as the princess's golden clad hoof slapped him upside the head, glaring sternly at him.

"Discord, last night was needed," the princess said sternly as the spirit moaned in pain and rubbed at the horseshoe mark on the side of his face. "Last night was something you have denied yourself for over a thousand years and it was something you had to do. There's no shame in what happened."

The draconequus decided not to protest her further (mainly not wishing to get hit again – that princess had one hard hoof!) and he simply crawled out slightly from the wing, poking his snout out from under the ivory save haven and watching as the alicorn scribbled on a scroll of parchment paper.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm writing back to Twilight. I got a letter while you were asleep, and she's requesting to meet with me immediately to talk about something. It sounds important." She sighed. "What is with these sudden important talks from everypony I know?"

"Oh now that's a little _over dramatic_, don't you think, princess~? Maybe she just wants to tell you she accidentally dropped your hairbrush in the toilet!" Yep, he was back to himself once more. "In any case, it will be _delightful _to see dear Twilight again. I have been saving a few pies to top her pretty mane."

"You will do _no _such thing," Celestia admonished and flapped her wings against the immortal's stomach, causing him to give a burst of laughter. "She sounds very upset and I'll not have your tormenting her the entire time she's here. Is that clear?"

"Alright, fine...but...just a little~?" He yelped, face falling dizzily into the earth again as she whacked him. That was a _no._"I see the compassionate side of the oh-so kind, benevolent ruler has been used up for a while, hm?" he griped.

Celestia enveloped the draconequus in a magic bubble and placed him back on his feet, giving him a small nudge to the edge of the hill. "It's back to the medical wing with you. I know it's around this time the doctors have you take your medicine."

"Oh honestly?" Discord demanded incredulously, wings beating in annoyance as he hovered there in the sky and glared at the pain-in-the-flanks princess. "You're still ordering me around?"

A mischievous glint flashed across the princess's violet eyes as she smirked, absolutely delighted at the power she had over him. "My dear Discord, I will order you around and control you until the day you die~"

"In that case I pray it's soon," the god mumbled, ears giving a twitch of annoyance as the evil princess behind him emitted an impish giggle. As he turned to her however he noted there actually was a kinder and affectionate smile on her face, replacing the years of hostility he always saw. Something between them had finally changed.

"I'll see you after, Discord," Celestia said kindly, as she gathered her stuffed bear and the remnants of her picnic blanket he hadn't ruined. "Go on and let the doctors tend to you. I believe Fluttershy has probably been looking for you. You've been here the entire night."

Oh, knowing that overprotective little clump of butter, she was probably flailing about in distress in the hospital room or hunting down everypony in the palace and demanding where he was, and ugh.

Discord was almost afraid to step through the window and did so with caution, poking his wary vermillion eyes up over the ledge. Nopony in sight. The room seemed vacant. It was right when the god pulled himself up into the room that the saffron and rosette blur tackled him to the ground.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh—I saw you talking to the princesses and cuddling her and sleeping beside her and—EEEE!"

Discord's ears desperately perched back in agony at the shrillness of the bubbly, squealing pegasus's voice as she nuzzled and cuddled and squeezed him like he was her teddy bear. "Ow, Fluttershy, you've gone ultra sonic!" The pony's delight and giggles were infectious though, and Discord found himself rolling his eyes and giving a small snicker.

"Discord, I'm so happy for you!" the pegasus squealed, nuzzling into the spirit's warm cinnamon fur as he raked a talon lightly through the dusty pink strands of her mane, twirling the locks around his fingers.

"...And I'm happy for me too." And he meant it.

* * *

><p>Celestia stood atop the balcony once more, feeling her gut clench ominously as the approaching purple mare grew nearer. The princess could note how hesitant each step was, as if her dear student didn't even want to see her.<p>

_Please, Celestia...you're just a little frazzled from the night's events with Discord. Of course Twilight wants to see you. Why wouldn't she?_

Wait, why _was _she worrying at all? The princess laughed at herself for her own idiocy. This was Twilight! The pony that freaked over forgetting a friendship report, the pony that thought Equestria was going to crumble because of a misinterpreted prediction her future self had told her. Discord was probably right and the silly filly was going to confess she had dropped her brush in the toilet or something.

The princess was still giggling to herself and shaking her head when the trembling and meek little steps finally made their way out to the balcony. As Celestia turned to her student, her smile instantly vanished.

Never had Twilight been in such condition: her skin color had blanched several shades to the point where it was nearly white, her mane was ruffled and messy and didn't look as if it had been brushed in ages; bags as black as night hung under tear brimming eyes, and the mare was shaking intensely. Coupled with the whiter skin and unsteady movements, she looked as if she was terminally ill.

"Oh my—Twilight, _dear_, you look j...just horrible!" Horribly blunt the princess realized, but there were really no other words to describe the cold shock she felt as she observed the child she raised.

Celestia moved immediately to the small unicorn, letting her lean against her as she led her to the edge of the balcony with her and sat her down. The mare immediately scrambled away from her the moment she could, and hurt flooded Celestia's face.

"P-princess, th-there's something I really need to speak to you about. It..." The mare's voice quivered impossibly as she began to sob. She felt those worried eyes on her, and it just made her sink further into the ground. "Y-you'll hate me..."

Celestia wedged a hoof under Twilight's damp chin and forced the tearful pony to gaze into her stern eyes. "I am physically incapable of hating you. Now, what have you gone and done now?" She meant it as affectionately as possible, but judging by the poor mare's increased cries it had not been received that way.

"Princess, there's something I-I've been keeping from you for a while..." Twilight's voice stuttered as she attempted to regain her composure, wiping away her tears and clearing her throat until she was satisfied no sobs were interrupting her.

"I'm listening." Celestia's voice was gentle and affectionate, trying to be as soothing as she possibly could with her poor student in near catatonics.

"A...a while back when Discord was injured by the greenhouse, Fluttershy and I visited him and he was having a bad nightmare. Fluttershy told me he had these nightmares every single night and wanted to help him."

Although there was no indications as to what these nightmares were other than her own assumptions, Celestia found herself questioning if it had anything to do with her parents for the main reason that Discord had fallen asleep tucked in her embrace last night and didn't once have a nightmare. If he did, he didn't react from it at all.

_Perhaps those nightmares are what finally pushed him into talking to me._

"Continue..." When Celestia failed to receive a response from her pupil, she gave the trembling foal a nudge with her snout. "I said continue."

"W...we were—Fluttershy was desperate to find out what Discord was so afraid of, so I..." Briefly, the mare glanced up into her mentor's face and her heart twisted when she realized that, judging by the stony look of suspicion, Celestia was catching on. "...I used a spell from _Alicorn's Power._"

And it was there that Celestia lost all demeanor of gentleness from her tone, freezing up like ice and unwillingly piercing the girl with a glare.

"...You..._**what?**_"

Twilight wept like a chastised little girl, trembling into the tile on the balcony, as if she actually feared her mentor was going to slap her or something. She wouldn't be surprised if she did. She deserved it after all. She had been told—no, ordered to stay away from that book, and she had disobeyed.

Celestia rose from where she was standing, pacing in distress as she tried to make sense of this. She resolved to finally just deciding to explain calmly to her pupil, but calmness was all but what unleashed from her mouth in a snarl. "How could you use _Alicorn's Power? _You were ordered to stay away from it! You were forbidden! The evil of that book is not something that can be tampered with!"

The younger mare cowered and trembled as the alicorn's slicing voice washed over her. She tried to fabricate a defense, but it warbled out to nothing as she wept into her hooves. "I-I did it for Fluttershy! For Discord! They needed my h-help!"

Celestia was about to unleash all of her wrath on the sobbing little mare, but was promptly halted by a royal guard that barged into the balcony, followed by a seemingly just as panicked draconequus.

"Your majesty," the guard panted, fighting to remain stable as he had obviously run the entire way. "Princess Luna has gone missing! No one in the palace has seen her since late last night!"

"What?" Celestia whirled sharply to the guards, slapping the stallion fiercely with her tail as she did, causing Discord to repress a snort by the pained expression on the guard's face.

"The princess has gone missing," the guard repeated as he rubbed his snout. "Nopony saw her leave, but we've had search parties throughout the palace earlier. She's nowhere in this palace."

"Why in Equestria didn't you tell me sooner?"

"We would have, your majesty, but we wanted to make sure the princess wasn't simply in some wing of the palace before we raised a call for alarm!" The guard tumbled back before Celestia's authoritative and ordering hoof boomed against the tile as she thundered:

"Find her!"

The guards instantly scrambled back to their hooves and clumsily rammed into each other as they fought for the door, not waiting until the other one had galloped out to try and squeeze in, which resulted in them both getting stuck.

Celestia turned back to her student to put the lecture on hold, but found nothing more than a small, glistening puddle of tears where Twilight had cowered. A few faint tendrils of magenta swirled silently into the air and faded in the sky, indicating Twilight had teleported. So the princess went back to panicking.

"I don't believe this! Luna knows better than to go out in the day; her powers are not strong enough when the sun is out to protect her from a threat! It's the same as my powers at night."

"I wouldn't say that," Discord chided with a wry smirk, as he hovered over the frenzied alicorn's head. "You certainly kicked my butt well enough last night during our brief magic duel. You even managed to pin me there in the air."

"Soothing spells, weak blasts, and a small immobilization spell are not what I consider 'strong' in comparison to what I can do in the day. It's one of the reasons I had such trouble fighting those basilisks, and it's a reason Luna could be in grave danger!"

The draconequus's eyes rolled dramatically inside their sockets as he lashed downwards and seized Celestia by the hoof, starting to tug her along. "Well, what in Equestria are we waiting for? Let's go!" He blinked as she snagged him back by the tail with her muzzle, and dragged him down into the dirt.

"Oh, I don't think so," Celestia said sternly, placing a hoof on the furious Discord's back to exert her point. "You are going nowhere." She was unfazed by Discord's incredulous and enraged expression. "You are just starting to heal from those wounds and you still have fresh stitches! There is no way in Equestria that I'm letting you come."

The draconequus rose in the air; his temper was sizzling. "You can't be serious!"

"I am," Celestia said in a tone that indicated there was to be no further debate. "We have hundreds of palace guards and you are still injured. There is no way you can protect yourself out there. You barely have any magic right now, and I will have no way of knowing if you collapse somewhere in the wilderness. You are staying here."

"You can't do that!" Discord spluttered in seething rage. "I'm not one of your subjects you can just boss around! I'll make my own—Celestia, don't you dare!" His protests fell on deaf ears as the sun princess lowered her head and engulfed him in a bright flash of light.

Discord heard the spell zap him into the room, and stumbled back onto the cotton mattress in the middle of the hospital room, dazed. He gritted his teeth and watched Celestia's retreating back as she galloped off into Everfree. As he swooped towards the door and jostled the knob he found it locked by magic.

_You really think that's going to keep me inside, Tia? _What an amateur. Even Fluttershy would know to lock the windows as well. She often had to do that or else he'd sneak out during the night.

The god easily flicked open the window sash with a talon, giving a satisfied smirk as he wormed his gangly body through the opening and back into the warm air. Eyes darting left and right for guards or angry, frumpy princesses, Discord darted out into the sky.

* * *

><p>A quietly weeping unicorn was already halfway across Canterlot borders, despite having only teleported several feet away from the palace. The heavy burden of Twilight's guilt made it nearly impossible to trot onward to her destination. Wherever her destination was.<p>

She hadn't stayed around to hear of her sentence (evidently thanking the Equestrian gods for the interruption), but she could pretty easily figure it was a pretty harsh one. The act of black magic was a capital offense in Equestria, and one where banishment or at least imprisoned for life was the outcome.

_Not only did I use _Alicorn's Power _once, but I used it again after I was told not to! _The painful revelation was accompanied by yet another round of tears, as Twilight just hastened her attempt to get out of Canterlot as fast as possible. And out of Equestria.

* * *

><p>She watched the crystal droplets of water eloquently descend into a puddle below with a resonating 'tink'. The water droplets each rolled off the tip of the stalactites and collected into a puddle below. Luna gazed at her reflection in it, realizing just how much older she had gotten since she had last come to these caves.<p>

It was an old place Luna could clearly remember her parents taking her and her siblings to, ever since she was five. She remembered her father igniting his horn to illuminate the darkness, and her mother using her magic to locate the gems. Luna always marveled at the beauty of the diamonds, but her brother usually ate them all before she'd have a chance to really take a look at them.

_My brother..._Luna didn't want to remember a time where that heartless monster was her brother. In a way she did, if just to keep her heart from shattering completely when she thought of him. She wanted to love him again, but how could she?

Her watery gaze drifted back to the walls of the cave as she curled herself more into her rocky sanctuary. Celestia had deemed these caves as unsafe long ago due to the crumbling foundations of the damage it had sustained from time. Luna only came here because it was the only place she knew her sister wouldn't think to look.

The night alicorn's tear brimming gaze went back to watching the rhythmic pattern of water, and listening to its drips. It was calming, almost like rain water.

_I want to hate him...but I just can't. _They had been through too much. Discord was the one that always tormented her like an older brother was apt to do, but he was also the one to always wipe away her tears, hug or tickle them away. He read her stories, he took the blame for things she did, he taught her how to make a snowball, and he taught her how to swim.

Luna scratched absently at the cave walls with her hooves, and the dirty glass slippers unearthed a beautiful, gleaming ruby. Luna brushed off the brown mud, unintentionally smearing the guck across the gem, and creating a thin film. Even through the layer of dirt, Luna could still see the mismatched reflection beside her very own.

"Hmm, a ruby. I haven't seen one of them in ages."

The princess's navy eyes gleamed balefully and hatefully at the creature as she bent her head and aimed her horn at him. Discord made no reaction, simply standing there with an even look on his face.

"I knew I'd find you here." He walked a little closer to her, despite how she kept her horn bent and just inches away from his abdomen. "It was always your favorite place when we were kids. A shame Father didn't take us here much." He barely had time to dodge a weak blast of indigo electricity from her horn.

"Villainous wretch, thou dare call him father? Thou no longer hast privilege to call him by that name!" Anger trembled in her words, and venomous, sizzling tears began streaming down her cheeks. She abandoned her old dialect as she shouted to him:

"You will never again have the privilege to call them Mother and Father! I know what you did! I-I heard it all, and I hate you even more now! I hate you, and if it was up to me I'd trap you into the deepest abyss of Tarturus where you _belong!_"

Discord's expression didn't falter, feigning indifference to her words. Inside, his heart was stinging. "I know," he said calmly. "I know I don't deserve to call them that. I know I deserve to go to Tartarus and I won't stop you." He held out his arms in an accepting gesture. "So fire that horn and send me there."

"The only thing stopping me is how much my sister cares for you," Luna snarled. "But if she didn't you'd be there in an instant, imprisoned forever! Just like you _deserve!_" A stronger blast of electricity and blue flames tore from her horn and singed his fur as he curled up his legs.

"Luna, I'm only here to bring you back to Celestia. You can't be this far from the palace in the day and you know that. Your magic is much too weak!"

Her horn sputtered with the effort of a much stronger spell it could hardly maintain, and the bolts of fizzing electricity were cast at the spirit once more. He made no attempt to fight her, dodging side to side and avoiding her blows.

"I am not weak! You think I can't take you? I could destroy you here and now!" Her horn continued to sputter and spit, flashing on an off like a light losing power as it focused another blast on him. The speed of this one had Discord flying back several feet, as well as charring his toes.

Discord's eyes clenched shut in agony, feeling sick as he could smell the reeking, burnt calcium from his poor toenails. Drat! He was getting better too. Now he had another injury to recover from. "L-Luna, look, just let me get you home and if you want, I promise to never talk to you again."

"I will not allow you to take me anywhere! I will not allow you near my side!"

Discord glared, capturing his protesting and cursing little sister in a golden orb of magic and suspending her there in the air. "You know Luna, I do believe for something like this Tia would have your horn and flanks mounted to a plaque on her wall. Is there any reason big brother Discord shouldn't do the same?" he asked sternly.

It was then the translucent dome of magic shattered from the impact of her horn, the splinters of golden energy shooting out in all directions, and diminishing in a stream of glitter in the air as she broke free. Her horn smoldered with blue embers, the last of her magic she had in her.

"You think you still have the right to be called my brother? You aren't worth any title! You are lower than low! You don't deserve the title of scum! You deserve nothing better than death!"

The would-be fatal blast from the alicorn's horn slammed into the walls of the cave as Discord ducked, and immediately shards of rocks flew off the cave walls, followed by a sudden sound of thunder as bits of debris fell from the ceilings of the cave.

Luna realized what she had done far too late, and barely managed to hop back in time as a large torrent of rocks began tumbling down the cave walls, and even more fell from above.

"Lu-" was all Discord could utter before he was drowned out by the deafening crack as the rest of the cave walls split up the middle, and the rock avalanche completely obscured his little sister from his view. Discord could barely catch the flash of terrified blue through the blur of grey. He whirled around just in time for his only source of light to be destroyed as the rocks blocked off the entrance to the cave, and blackened everything.

* * *

><p><em>(The reason this chapter is so short (short my by standards) is because had I posted what was the entire chapter I realized it would be over deviantart's page limit. Therefore, I figured I'd split them here as well. I mean, this little nine page portion is only a quarter of what happens in the entire chapter, but I realized this stood well on its own.<em>

_I can almost guarantee you that the next chapter will be up tomorrow or Monday. After that there's only two or three more chapters to this fic, followed by the best epilogue EVER.)_


	15. Chapter 15

The rocks continued to fall and Discord desperately ignited his talon in a vibrant, golden glow, the magic illuminating the outlines of the falling rocks as he tried to dodge the deadly projectiles and scream for his sister at the same time.

After what seemed like forever, the rocks ceased their rolling and all fell silent. There was nothing but two walls of fallen boulders on either side of Discord. The spirit desperately rammed himself against them.

"LUNA! LUNA! _LUNA! _LUNA, CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Other than the sound of dripping stalactites, silence was all that greeted the spirit in return. With a distressed whine, Discord rammed himself up against the walls, finding the rocks to be just about glued together.

Discord gazed down at his talon, fully aware that teleporting to the other side of the rock pile would sap a large amount of power he couldn't afford to spare. Disregarding that thought, he disappeared in a flash of light, and reappeared on the other side.

And there was Luna, seeming the size of a hamster in comparison to the boulder pinning the edge of her wing down. Tears and dirt streaked her cheeks, and her filthy body was decorated with small bleeding cuts, as were his.

Discord stared in horror, finding himself mildly impressed with his sister's bravery. A boulder was crushing her wing, and yet she wasn't making a sound.. Tears streamed profusely down her cheeks and she inched back as he came near, trying to growl.

Discord was unfazed by the younger immortal's pathetic attempts to seem aggressive and threatening as he neared the boulder, ignoring her attempts to snap at him, and trying to pry the five hundred pound rock off of her. It wouldn't budge, wouldn't even wobble.

"G-get away from me!" Luna strained out between a groan of agony. Her teeth ground tearfully together as she heard the bone in her wing crack more as she shifted. "I don't want your help! Leave now! This instant!"

The god snorted both in annoyance and exasperation as he gazed down at the petulant, stubborn brat. "Leave? You do realize you'll die here on your own, don't you?" The venomous retort wasn't all that unexpected:

"I would rather die than to be helped out by you!"

A flash of pain went across the draconequus's dirt streaked face briefly, washed away with a wince. _Ouch. _She really knew what to say, didn't she?

Discord's lips pulled back in a frustrated snarl, baring his curved fangs at the insufferable alicorn as he threw up his hands in disgust and exasperation. "What do you want me to say, Luna?" he barked. "What do you want me to do? I can't go back and change the past! I can't bring them back to life! I can't erase what I've done! It's not that easy!"

"_So I'm aware!_" the princess screeched at him, and her voice warbled with the sudden choked sobs of her broken heart and grief. "But nothing you say will matter! I'm never forgiving you!"

"I'm not asking for forgiveness!" Discord snarled back scathingly, "I know I don't deserve it, and I know nothing I could do could possibly make up for my all-time blunder!" His face filled with mourning and his voice quieted. "All I'm asking is for you to set aside your hatred long enough for me to get us out of here."

The girl had silenced completely, her face vacant as she gazed at him and watched him draw a little closer to her. The god's eyes were glassier, wet, and Luna could see her reflection rippling in them.

"I know I don't deserve to be alive, and I don't deserve to be a part of your family anymore. I know Mother and Father were right in their decision to cast me out of the kingdom forever. Celestia never should have kept it from you, even if it was just to protect the both of us. You deserved to know what happened to your own parents."

Luna stayed silent as she gazed at him.

"There's far too much damaged to be repaired, and there's nothing I can do to fix it."

Silence.

"It's the only thing I truly regret, and regretting is all I can do now. Regretting and hoping one day you'll understand and come to forgive what I've done." Never had he poured such sincerity into his words.

As Luna remained silent, Discord took that to mean something and crouched beside the rock. Right as his mismatches hands wedged themselves under the boulder, before he could even manage to get a grip, a final blast of blue slammed into him, singing his shoulder and sending him hurtling into the rocks.

A grunt tore from his throat as the god slammed against the stone walls, small pebbles and stones getting shaken loose and pelting him from above. The spirit gave a low moan as he tried to stand, feeling his fur stiff from being burnt so bad, and catching the sight of a trickle of blood from the charred wound.

Luna laid there, her navy slits of wrath targeting him in a vicious and hateful glare. Her horn was still dimly glowing.

Disgusted, Discord threw up his mismatched hands in exasperation as he sneered disdainfully at the stupid and ungrateful alicorn, brushing the soot off of his blackened fur and wincing as his paw touched the edges of the raw wound.

"Oh, you know what, Luna? Fine! You can go right ahead and stay here by yourself! Go right away and _rot _under that big boulder for all I care!" he spat vehemently, just inches away from the mare's face. "Rot away and let the worms feast on your corpse! Let's see how you fare on your own."

Luna shut her eyes from the blinding flash as the spirit disappeared in a ray of white light. She was alone in the pitch black cave now, pressed against the floor, her wing feeling like it was being ground into powder. She tried to ignore the unbearable agony as she limply laid her cheek against the floor and let the tears slide off her muzzle.

"Maybe I was too harsh." Of course not! The spirit had killed her parents after all. Did he really expect she could forgive him so easily? What he had done was unforgivable.

_That doesn't mean you needed to blast him into a wall and burn him when he tried to help you,_ a meek little voice inside her mind chided her. _All he tried to do was get that boulder off you._

"I'm sorry," the princess found herself sobbing into the black, cold cave. The only sound that greeted her in response was her own anguished echo and again the dripping of stalactites. Although unbeknownst to the weeping mare, a certain mismatched form was clinging to the ceiling above her. He had never left.

"I'm sorry," Luna wept again, letting the tears pour down her face, and stain the rocks and dirt beneath her.

_It's just too hard to believe. I want to, but-but I can't._ She wanted to forgive him and she wanted to love him. She wanted to believe they could go back to being the loving siblings they once were, but the girl had dreamed of it too often and it didn't seem as if it could become a reality. Even with the burning anger and hatred she felt for him all these years, she had missed him. Equestrian _gods_, she had missed him. She was just terrified of setting herself up for another broken heart.

The flash appeared once more, and Luna's swollen, flooding eyes slowly drifted up to his pained form. Discord said nothing as he stood in front of the injured alicorn and held out one of his hands.

Luna stared into his face and found herself unable to remember the last time it radiated with such sincerity...and compassion. Gone was the malice from his face, the last thing she could remember seeing before he was stoned. Gone was the mocking smirk and venom. His eyes were no longer manipulative, had lost the luster to hurt. They were now simply eyes.

The princess stared into her brother's deep, vermillion eyes, her own navy blue irises aquifer in their sockets and continuing to produce her hopeful tears. After seemingly ages, Luna extended a trembling hoof and gave a pleading sob as she gently touched her brother's hand for the first time in thousands of years.

A soft feline paw gently fell on her hoof, and it was joined by her other hoof pressing sincerely on top. The two stared at each other silently for a few moments before allowing themselves to smile lightly.

Discord clutched onto his sister's tattered hooves, leaning over to gaze at the boulder trapping her wing entirely underneath it. He spared a talon to thoughtfully scratch at his beard as he pursed his lips. He could probably just pull her right from under the rock, but...

"Lulu, how serious are you about keeping your wing?"

"...My wing? Pretty serious."

"That's what I thought." Discord circled the boulder, dropping down on all fours to intensely study it, and ignoring his sister's weirded out gaze as she watched him walk around her over and over again. "I wonder how heavy this thing is."

The entity hopped back a few steps and poised his mismatched hands, letting them alight in a cosmic, golden glow that encased the entire boulder. A hopeful lilt was heard in his small gasp—before the boulder promptly landed back down with a harsh thud, causing Luna to howl in agony.

"I'm sorry!" Discord squeaked, his hands flying to his mouth sheepishly as Luna tried to tough it out and hold back a few sobs. "Okay, I guess lifting it by magic isn't going to work. At all."

Discord hovered above the boulder, dropping to perch on it as he suddenly found himself absolutely exhausted. He was nearly out of magic. That teleporting spell had taken nearly all of it out of him, and the levitating spell – and such a heavy boulder – had sapped all but a drop.

The spirit gazed down at his filthy, glowing talon. It was spurting with its final magic juices, and Discord knew he had only shot left.

"...Lulu, how would you fancy being crushed by a giant jello cube instead of a giant boulder?"

"...Excuse me?" Luna demanded flatly as she focused a deadpan look on her older brother, who was grinning like an idiot. Well...speaking figuratively. "I don't like the idea of being crushed to death under either if you don't mind."

She stared cautiously as the draconequus gleefully ignited his talon once more, and immediately Luna felt the boulder beginning to shift and morph. She whined as it trembled and pressed down on her injured wing, surely turning the remnants of the dislocated bone shards into powder.

With several more quivers the boulder transformed. In its place wobbled a squishy, green jello mold. Luna was still moaning in pain, but was now retching from the feel of the cold slime on her trapped appendage.

"Delightful and delicious~!" Discord chirped. "It's perfect for a food supply, wouldn't you say~?"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

The spirit rolled his eyes insufferably. Typical. Nopony could enjoy a large, heaping serving of gelatinous goop like he could. "Alright, alright, keep your horseshoes on." He flexed his fingers and cracked his knuckles as he dove towards the jello mold and wedged his hands underneath it, getting a grip.

Luna tried to contribute as much as she could, gingerly worming her body out of the heaping pile of green goop. Discord pulled upward with his fingers, creating a small fold at the bottom of the jello that was big enough for Luna to slide her wing right out. The alicorn took a light hold of the floppy limb with her teeth and gently eased it out, just as Discord lost his grip on the five hundred pound jello.

Luna shakily straightened herself and fluffed the dust particles off her only good wing. She felt sick by the sight of the floppy, limp wing. It was obviously broken.

"Are you hurt?" Discord blinked as his sister glared daggers at him. He giggled. "Besides the wing I mean."

Experimentally, Luna attempted to slowly extend her wing—only to draw back with an agonized squeal as it shot electric waves of pain up the entire appendage, and up her spine. She gasped and nearly collapsed on her poor brother, but his tail floated up and supported her just in time.

"Mhm, it's definitely broken." Although Discord tried to convey some concern into his words and watching eyes, he couldn't seem to wipe off that grimly satisfied smirk on his face. It wasn't that he enjoyed seeing his little sister in pain, but more so the fact that _finally _in a potentially fatal situation he wasn't the one to suffer the worst!

"What are you smiling at?" Luna snapped, and Discord's grin deflated like a pricked balloon. She watched him suspiciously, and the two began walking. Now it was in total silence. Neither knew what to say to each other.

Discord floated above his sister and grinned by how angered that made her since she couldn't join him up there. It was just like when they were kids: he was tormenting her again. Luna's navy eyes blazed angrily up at her older brother, but when the spirit abruptly sprang his serpentine tongue from his mouth and crossed his eyes, the alicorn burst into a peal of unwanted giggles. Her laughter was cut short by a gasp of pain that tore from her throat as she stumbled.

Discord gave his little sister a wry smile, swooping down to her level and helping her to her feet. "Drunk, Lulu~?" He chortled at the livid glower she shot to him, but it was interrupted by the spring on of tears as she lifted her hoof.

Discord gawked. Adorned across Luna's blue hoof was a large, raw looking cut from where a boulder had slashed her. It already looked like it was becoming infected, and it was slightly inflamed. No wonder she couldn't walk.

The princess watched as her older brother floated there in the air and twiddled his dusty goatee thoughtfully. After a few moments, he smirked, startling her as he swooped towards her and leaned in close to her face. "What would you prefer, Lulu? To be carried in my arms or a piggy back ride?"

The princess sputtered, but before she could protest against his indignant offer, she suddenly found herself perched up against the tickly fuzz of his back, and with nothing else to do, she reluctantly wrapped her arms around his waist, shock coursing through her at the first indirect hug she had given him in eons.

"Brother, how do we get out of here?" The younger immortal had to tighten her grip around Discord as he halted sharply, his breathing seeming to cease for a few moments at the address. Just as quickly though, the warm smile replaced the shock—followed by one of his famous Discord smirks afterwards.

"Hohoho, we don't!"

Luna's teal eyes widened considerably as she snapped her head to look at him sharply. "What?" Discord stared blankly at her and began to laugh.

"I figure it would seem a little obvious, dearest, dumb sister, Discord crooned affectionately, grinning as the alicorn gave a childish pout. "We're both trapped in a cave, magicless, and with no way out. Of course we're going nowhere."

"Soon we'll be able to," Luna assured him, although not entirely certain herself. She absorbed her strongest magic from the moon itself, and had no way of knowing if these rocks would block off any light entirely. If she couldn't absorb her magic from the night and Discord was completely out of it himself, then they would both die.

"For now..." Discord swerved in his step and walked back to the large mound of jello still wobbling at the side of the cave walls, and decorated with specks of dust and sand. "I really do think the two of us should eat something." His claw carved out two large chunks of the gelatin, and he passed some to his baby sister and sat to nibble his own.

Luna slid off her older brother's back and up against the jello, thankful for the comfortable, smooshy (although albeit, slimy) seat. She began chewing at the green goo, finding its taste far more appetizing than its appearance.

"Isn't jello almost completely water with just a little bit of flavor? It hardly counts as real food."

"Oh picky, picky~ Typical of little Lulu, the one that scrunched her face up at _everything _when we were kids," Discord drawled. "Didn't like her veggies, would never touch her alfalfa, didn't like custard, and didn't like ice cream." He was about to continue with his list, but giggled as Luna nudged him sharply in annoyance.

All of a sudden, a loud screech was heard from the back of the cave, frightening the two right out of their fur as they whirled around in time to see the looming, towering shadow...with very distinguishable features. The shadow had a sharp, protruding beak, and the two watched with frozen eyes as feathers fluttered off the large wings that spread. Discord backed up with his sister.

"If that's another bucking basilisk, I swear to the Equestrian gods I will _eat_ my legs." Pathetic jokes aside, he and Luna were very aware of the mortal danger they were both in. In general they were easily in danger of being killed with a basilisk as their foe, but _trapped_in a cave with no magic? There was no hope.

Luna's chest tightened and began to twist in knots of fear as she found herself limping behind her older brother for protection, just like when she was a young filly. The siblings pressed tightly together, regarding the approaching threat with terror.

The threat appeared, barely more than the size of a small puppy, flapping its wings and strutting its way out into the open. It gazed up at the baffled, still siblings, and tilted its head.

"Bawk-ark!"

Luna and Discord just stared at each other, unblinking, for several minutes. Finally, the both of them collapsed onto the cave floor in absolute hysterical laughter as the chicken began pecking at the drops of jello on the floor.

* * *

><p>Celestia was going to kill Discord. She was going to flambe him with her sister, sizzle them both, put them both in a world of pain for doing this to her. It hadn't taken long to discover Discord had gone after Luna. Celestia had returned to the palace with a few guards, only to find a frantic Fluttershy flitting around like a bug on fire and shouting for Discord.<p>

The princess vowed to kill them both the moment she found them, and after she had smothered them both with hugs.

Even though in the back of her mind Celestia was still wondering where her student had run off to, she hadn't been overly concerned with it all. She figured the mare had gone back to Ponyville, and she'd address the whole "black magic thing" after Luna and Discord were safe at home.

"Luna?" The princess neared a suspicious looking bush at the outskirts of Everfree, watching as it twitched and quivered, and a hopeful lilt fluttered in her heart as it did. As she ran towards it, a large rabbit hopped out of the bush, and it stopped moving completely.

Celestia blinked back tears and sat there despondently, watching the rabbit's retreating back until it disappeared completely. Something flashed above her, and she tilted her head up just in time for a rolled up scroll to bonk the end of the snout. Enveloping the scroll in a violet hue, she unraveled it. Her heart filled with dread as she gazed at every word.

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I know Twilight told me she was going to see you sometime this morning. She left at around six this morning and said she wouldn't be long. I know it only takes a couple hours to get to Canterlot and back again and it's nearly seven in the evening now! I'm very worried about her because she hasn't come back yet. I was wondering, if she is there, could you please at least get her to send me a message?_

_Your loyal subject, Spike._

Celestia stared in horror, the words continuously replaying in her mind like an unwanted record: _she hasn't come home yet._Where had she gone? Had she gotten held up somewhere? Was she injured? She knew Twilight—it wasn't like her to just leave Spike to worry like that.

The tears the princess had been containing that day finally unleashed themselves in a small flood and a few soft sobs. She forced herself to regain her composure, exhaling shakily as she poofed an inkwell and a quill up, and quickly scribbled a response to the dragon.

* * *

><p>Twilight cantered on with throbbing limbs throughout Everfree. She never realized just how long the woodland area stretched for, mostly because she had never tried reaching the end of it. It was nearing sunset, and temperatures were dropping. Her eyes burned from her cry that day, and it was difficult to see where she was going.<p>

_I have to be near the end of the forest by now. _Twilight had thought that for hours though, and the line of trees didn't seem to have changed at all. If anything, she was just seeing more of them, plus several streams and lakes.

_I don't think I'm even close to leaving Equestria. _No, she wasn't even out of Everfree Forest yet. She wasn't even certain where Equestria ended and a new land began. Equestria was a country—it was huge!

_I need to find a place to sleep for the night._It wasn't night yet, but it was getting there and Twilight was already completely exhausted. She hadn't slept in days. That horrible book had eaten away at all her sleep for countless nights, even before she decided to finally tell her mentor.

Tiredly, Twilight trudged on through the dark forest until she finally reached a small clearing, and a good cave to take shelter in for the night. Against all common sense and instinct, the mare entered the dark, foreboding cave.

It seemed safe enough, cozy and with enough lumps of moss to sleep upon. Orangish-red moss. Moving moss. Twilight backed up. The 'moss' looked up at her, leering its menacing yellow eyes in the darkness. Two smaller pairs of eyes, innocent and curious, blinked up at her.

Twilight bolted from the cave with a shriek, and the mother manticore immediately followed; its paws thundering against the ground as it roared and gave chase to the terrified unicorn. It didn't register in the distraught Twilight's mind to enact a spell to simply send the beast away or lull it back to its cave. All she could do was run and eventually wrench out a terrified scream.

The blackened silhouette of the manticore pounced at her with a feral snarl, and the weeping unicorn futilely fought to push against its shaggy chest with her shaking hooves, twisting her head from side to side as the beast drooled down onto her face.

It was right then that a colossal blast slammed into the feline hybrid from the angelic form hovering above the two on the ground. She soared through the air, her wings slicing through the clouds as she just about dive bombed the manticore. It didn't have a chance against her.

Twilight scrambled back on all fours, watching in awe as her teacher obliterated the beast without earning a scratch herself. Beaten and bleeding, the feline finally backed off after giving a few more threatening snarls. When Twilight was certain her mentor was distracted, she tried to escape. Immediately, Celestia roughly grabbed her in a powerful spell, turning her to face her.

"L-let me go!" Twilight sobbed, as she kicked and struggled in her mentor's grip as if she were a toddler trying to get away from a designated bedtime. "I have to leave!"

"You have to leave? Where, pray tell, are you going?" the alicorn princess demanded sharply, tightening the firm hold on the unicorn. "Have you been in Everfree _all day?_I've been searching for you everywhere! What is the matter with you, Twilight Sparkle?"

The lavender mare wept as her teacher glared down at her, eyes demanding an explanation. "I...I had to get out of there. I had to...to leave Equestria!"

"You had to what?" Celestia demanded incredulously. "You had to leave Equestria? Why-why would you try to leave Equestria?"

"The-the black magic," Twilight warbled, tears seeping rapidly from her eyes. "I used black magic! The-the punishment is banishment."

"And when was it the law you decided the punishment?" Celestia asked gently as she eased the bubble containing her student to the grass and dispelled it completely. Twilight didn't try to run again, and only buried her face into her hooves.

"I-it's the law though," the unicorn sniffled out. "I-I had to. I knew I-I didn't deserve to be your student and that I-I didn't deserve to live here."

Celestia bit her lip to desperately keep it from twitching. She didn't want to hurt the mare's feelings, but the truth was it was hard to contain her laughter as she gazed over at her adorable student. "So let me get this straight. You...disowned yourself as my student, and then you...banished yourself from Equestria?"

Those wide, filly eyes quivered with tears as she nodded, and she blinked in confusion when Celestia started laughing.

"Oh, Twilight. My dearest Twilight, you are just...adorable."

The mare tilted her head, hopelessly confused as her mentor guffawed a few more times, bursting into further peals as she gazed over at the unicorn.

Celestia cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure and maintain a stern frown. It quivered ceaselessly for several seconds before she managed to go stern once again. "Twilight." She took her child's face in her hooves. "It is not up to you to decide on your punishment. It never was when you were a filly, and that is still the case today."

"What is my punishment then?"

"Twilight, the two accounts of black magic were an immobilization spell, and a dream seeking spell. The first spell, although one of the worst of the spells, was for the sake of saving Equestria. That I took into consideration and it is in fact the reason you are not in a dungeon right now. The second spell borders a very thin line between black and white magic. Due to the fact it is not entirely black magic, in a royal trial, if we'd have one, you cannot be tried for it."

At her student's prying, wide eyes, Celestia bent the girl's head down. There was a sudden white flash, and Twilight jolted violently as she felt something briefly surge through her. She wasn't sure what it was; it didn't hurt and she didn't feel weak...but she didn't feel complete.

Experimentally, Twilight glanced over at a few leaves strewn about in the grass. When she tried to levitate them her horn didn't even spark. Painfully, she gazed up at her mentor. "How long?"

"Three weeks," Celestia answered solemnly, and bent her head to give the little mare a motherly, loving nuzzle. "On your feet," she ordered gently, picking up the mare by her scruff and setting her back on the ground. "We need to find Discord and Luna before nightfall."

* * *

><p>"I spy with my little eye something that is grey."<p>

"It's the rocks."

"Amazing! Now, I spy with my little eye something else that is grey!"

"It's the rocks."

"Yay! I spy with my little eye something that is grey!"

"It's the rocks—and the next one, just to guess, is it the rocks?"

Discord's mouth hung agape as he gazed up at his little sister perched behind his antlers, stunned and impressed by her telekinetic abilities. "How did you know that?"

"A lucky guess," Luna smirked lightly, amused by her brother's typical idiocy. She glanced down at the fluffy chicken that seemed to have decided to follow them all this time, blinking as it stared up at her as she stared down at it. "So what should we call the featherball?"

Not even a beat. "Barbara."

Luna unleashed a bridle of fizzing cackled behind her hooves as she gazed down at the disturbed looking chicken and back at her brother. "_Barbara?_"

"What? It's a nice name~"

As the siblings ventured further to the front of the cave, they at last bumped into the hard surface of the rock wall. Discord glanced up at the boulders, and was hopeful to see the tiniest sliver of moonlight; barely a stream the size of a thin string.

"It's night time."

"Is it? I feel no different." Luna slipped off her older brother's back, wincing as she landed on her injured hooves. She latched her front hooves like mountain picks into the crevices of the sturdy boulders and boosted herself to look up through the tiny hole. Sure enough, she caught a glimpse of the moon.

"If we moved this one rock blocking a lot of the moonlight, do you think you'd be able to absorb..." He snickered, "your _moon _power?"

Luna ignored his mocking and wriggled her hoof through the tiny crack, grasping the boulder from the other side. Her other hoof grabbed the boulder and gave it a fierce yank. Instantly, her hooves were joined by a pair of larger hands...and a chicken.

"I think it's coming!" Discord grunted out, able to hear and feel the rock grinding. With a fierce yank the boulder moved aside and two more rocks tumbled down. A large beam from the moon flooded into the cave and encompassed Luna fully.

The princess's eyes sparkled as her entire form dimly emanated a silver hue for a few seconds as Luna felt the strength return to her body, pushing her up to a sturdy stand. The pulse of power flowed through her frame and strengthened every limb. Instantly, her horn began to glow with a blinding, whitish blue light as indigo sparks flew from it.

Discord tackled Barbara and dove out of the way just as a humungous, deafening blast was heard behind him as every boulder was obliterated to the size of pebbles and dust. The cool night air filled the cave. He glanced over at his sister, slack jawed.

The smug princess stood cockily and waved the smoke away from the tip of her horn with her hoof. She held her snout up in the air with playful snooty-ness and arrogance as she strut by him. "And _that _is how we do it alicorn style~" Her attitude was abruptly shattered as her knees buckled at a surge of pain in her leg.

With Barbara on his head, Discord reached down and gathered his little sister in his arms, propping her against his shoulder. He had to smile at her slightly droopy eyelids, the day's events getting to her. "I'm not used to see you falling asleep at night."

"We're taking the chicken?"

"I don't see what qualms Fluttershy would have against Barbara, and we certainly can't leave the poor thing in this dark, nearly food-less cave. We're almost out of jello!"

The exhausted Luna gazed up at the hen with its talons perched at the very tip of Discord's antler, and she pulled back into his warm chest slightly, finding herself drifting off in his warm fur as Discord took to the skies.

* * *

><p>"Rest, my princess. You have been searching Canterlot since early this morning. I have a party of guards who will search the night."<p>

"No...I can't. I-I have to find them." Celestia trembled on her unsteady legs and was only held up by a certain unicorn pressed against her side for support. Dripping mascara stained her fur from more than one breakdown of tears, and her eyes were heavy.

Celestia had been searching ceaselessly since after following Twilight. She searched every square inch of Everfree, behind every bush and every tree. They were nowhere in there.

"Princess, I'm sure the investigation can be held up long enough for you to get some sleep," Twilight advised, pressing her cheek against the larger mare's torso and gazing up with wide, quivering eyes. Another hoof had a near hysterical Fluttershy tucked under it.

Twilight's request fell on deaf ears as the princess just stood there and stared, unmoving. Her violet eyes were locked on the approaching, hobbling form of a certain draconequus, looking very sore, but very much alive. Curled securely into his chest was a certain little alicorn with her wings draped over her peacefully as she slept. There was a chicken on Discord's head.

Discord braced himself for the beating as Celestia galloped towards him. He was nothing short of shocked as the tearful princess grasped his face in her hooves and caressed it."Oh my gosh..."

Discord opened his mouth to respond, to defend himself, but he was abruptly cut off as that size twenty, metallic hoof slapped him across the face. The draconequus tumbled back as the sting erupted over his cheek, jolting awake Luna as he slammed into the grass.

"Where the hay have you two been!" Celestia roared ferociously at them, gripping her poor little sister in a grip of iron and shaking her until her teeth rattled, and Discord wondered if her brain would by pried loose. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? How scared you had the entire kingdom?"

Luna tried to tumble something pathetic out of her mouth, but any explanation died with a grunt as she was continuously shook until Discord finally stilled the furious alicorn. "Sister, I-I wasn't that far! I was in one of the old diamond caves." Her mouth clenched shut tightly with a suppressed squeal of fright as Celestia _leered _at her.

"You were where?" the princess thundered, her rage growing as she suddenly seemed ten times taller than the cowering sibling and draconequus. "Those caves have been forbidden for years! They are unsafe!"

Luna reached back and sheepishly took a gentle hold of the tip of her wing, letting it flop back limply to her side. "Yes, something I learned the hard way." Her eyes roved guiltily down to the inflamed gash striped across her hoof, and her sister released a frustrated and worried huff.

"Discord!"

Discord's eyes snapped up in time to widen to the size of dinner plates as a certain saffron and rosette blur begin charging at him at full speed. His battered body wasn't sure how much more tackle hugs and probably furious swats it could endure! He held up his hands desperately. "No! Nonononono-"

The weeping pegasus tackled the groaning spirit onto his back, intensely nuzzling into his chest amidst his pained protests, and bawling like a malfunctioning sprinkler into him. Discord tried to pry her off, rolling onto his stomach and pushing himself up-only to yelp and splay back onto his stomach as her wrathful hoof smacked his tail end. "Wha-oww!"

"How dare you just leave like that...!" Fluttershy squeakily raged at him, her high pitched, furious screams barely more than an ultra sonic whisper. "You could have gotten badly hurt...! You could have been killed...! You worried me right to death...!"

"Hold on a sec-oww-oww!" The spirit scrambled quickly away from her rampaging hoof, standing with a scowl. "Why am I suffering all the abuse? I tried to play the hero today~! Little Lulu would have been left for the worms and apparently the chickens if I hadn't found her."

Said chicken gazed up at the group of ponies, and then went right back to clucking and pecking at the ground.

Their anger having diminished completely and replaced with solid concern, both the pegasus and alicorn checked over 'their little ones' closely, experimentally probing at the injured wing and cuts until the two whined in protest.

"Are you hurt, sweetie?" Flutterwrath had gone back to being the Element of Kindness as she nuzzled his torso and looked up at him worriedly. Discord pulled back in annoyance, not feeling very compassionate to the pony that just hit him.

"Just a few scratches other than your hoof marks," he muttered sourly, and again his eyes roamed over to his little sister as he cringed at the look of her injuries. The broken wing wasn't that bad, but the cut looked just horrible. "It's Luna you should be worried about."

The night alicorn frowned at him, about to snap that she was fine, until her sister gently grabbed and inspected her injured hoof as she tried to pull away.

"Indeed, I'll take her to the infirmary immediately," Celestia agreed, and the concerned flecks of violet became narrowed, angry slits. "And then I'm going to have a talk with her." She began dragging the hapless immortal away, but paused at the look she was giving Discord. "Go say good night and good-bye to your brother."

Luna's eyes snapped up in horror. "Why good-bye? You going to kill me?"

Celestia tried to remain stern and stoic, but found she was unable to resist a small, twitching smirk and a compressed chuckle. "Hardly; he and Fluttershy are going home in a few minutes. The doctor has discharged them." She paused as she thought of Luna's question and said ominously, "but maybe I will."

Luna nervously slid out of Celestia's crushing, mother hen grip, and slipped over to her brother's side as Celestia and Fluttershy went back to talk about both her and Discord's idiocy of that day.

"I fear for my fate, brother."

"I'm guessing either Celestia screams at you until your ears fall off or beats you until your body parts fall off~ I'll be sure to listen out tonight to see if I can hear the oh-so royal and kind ruler screeching louder than the howler monkeys."

Luna shuddered briefly and turned to smirk up at the spirit. "And what do you think your sentence will be?"

Discord gazed over to where Fluttershy was still talking with Celestia, and making her way back to the palace. She spared a glower over to Discord and he shuddered. "It's hard to say with Flutterwrath."

Luna gazed up at her brother, and her eyes shone gratefully. "Thank you, brother...for everything."

Discord stared down silently at his sister, finding his mouth unable to form any words in a response as he stared at her. At last, he nodded silently and extended a teasing, brotherly paw to flick her forehead.

Luna prodded his chest teasingly with her own hoof, and slowly turned to limp back to the palace, giving her older brother a final, gentle smile, before disappearing inside.

Discord stared at the door even as his sister slipped through it, his gaze only broken to gawk at the limping Twilight coming up next to him, tattered and dirty. He giggled loudly at the sight of her. "My word! You look as if you've been trying to steal a meal from a harpy!"

Twilight gave him an embarrassed smile and shook the twigs from her mane, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I feel like I have. You're close though; it was a manticore that came after me."

"You journeyed off to Everfree? Looking for Lulu and I, I presume~?"

Twilight hesitated. "...Not exactly." At his inquiring stare she turned her head, mildly ashamed. "I..I was running away. I was leaving Equestria." She could feel his perplexed, blinking stare. "I told Celestia about the black magic." Discord nodded, stroking his goatee in understanding, but nodding for her to go on. "I felt as if I had shamed her and Equestria. So I thought it was best if I'd just go. Th-the punishment for black magic is banishment anyway."

"Mm, yes, for the _third _offense," Discord pointed out and raised one of his large, bushy eyebrows. "I figured you of all ponies would know that. You know everything about magic after all. Besides, the dream spell borders black magic, but isn't so entirely. What did you think running away would accomplish anyway?"

The purple mare took a few soft inhales to hold back her tears. Surprisingly, Discord waited patiently. "Can I ask you something?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "When you realized you killed the king and queen...what did you do? What did _your _guilt make you do?"

Instantly, there was a stone cold silence, and the air hung with Twilight's instant regret as she fumbled to take back her words. Discord wasn't looking at her, but he sat beside her and stared off into space with a distant look.

"...A spell from _Alicorn's Power _is what killed Mother and Father," he began quietly, "and when I realized that, I thought it could also bring them back. Before I ultimately made myself indifferent to it all and set to launching this world into madness, I spent my time trying to fix what I had done. Try to fix what the spell had done."

Twilight watched as the spirit's facial expression began to contort briefly into a look of pain, and then a sad smile washed over his face as he shut his eyes.

"But I couldn't. I had not yet been ready to use that book when I tried that spell on them...so it killed them. Because I was still not ready, there was no way I could resurrect them. I knew there was no fixing what I had done. There was no forgiveness, and there was no point in dwelling. I merely went back to my plans, hardened my heart, and told myself what was done was done."

"Y...you never meant to kill them," Twilight said softly, "and you tried to bring them back." Her voice seemed to hold the tone of a dawning revelation.

Discord smiled grimly and turned to the mare. "My dear...that does not mean that I'm not a bad guy. I am a bad guy. I still did what I did for my own personal gain, to hurt, to corrupt. I wanted the land and I was willing to do anything. Even to hurt my own family."

"You've shown you're not all bad," the unicorn desperately whispered. "You've shown you're not a total monster. You saved your little sister, you protected and nearly gave your life for Fluttershy. You were willing to protect Celestia and Luna with your life against that basilisk! I heard everything—I heard you nearly gave every ounce of your magic and life force when you stood between them and the beast. Celestia said that the spell should have killed you. So why didn't it?"

The grim, solemn look fell from Discord's face, and it was replaced with a mysterious glint in his eye, and a smirk. "There are a few theories for that, dear Twilight. I'm going with the theory that I simply had far more magic than Celestia thought she gave me. This is an old pony tale: when a god or a goddess is in mortal danger, they will be given a burst of power by the gods and goddesses above if they have done enough in their life to be granted a second chance."

Twilight had a small suspicion that there was one more theory he wasn't telling her, and he realized she caught on like the smart filly she was.

"This is part of the pony tale," he muttered, "and that's when...when a magical being is fighting for the sake of others, they will be given a burst of power from the goddess of love. How strong the power is all depends on how much they love the one they are protecting. If they don't personally care about the one they are protecting than the magic burst will be nothing more than a spark. The more they love them though, the stronger the spell. If they love them enough, no matter the foe you are facing, there is no way it will beat you."

The air lapsed into silence once more as Twilight processed the information given to her and an embarrassed Discord tried to pick up whatever shards of dignity he had left from saying that sentence.

"Frankly, I choose and believe the first theory," Discord smirked, "where I'm just far more wonderful than Tia thought I was~! The other two are far too disgusting to even think about."

"I choose the second or third," Twilight said with a slight teasing grin, smirking as Discord's face reddened. "I believe either the gods saw some redeeming qualities in you, or it was ultimately your love for the princesses and Fluttershy that gave you-"

With a humiliated scowl, Discord abruptly knocked the mare into the dirt, kicking grass up into her mane. His ears perched back in annoyance when Twilight only laughed, her suspicions confirmed.

Discord whirled away from the mare and tried to ignore the feeling of a red flush creeping up his face. He tried to wrench it away, but failed. He didn't care what she thought. Of course it was a lovey and snuggly pony that chose the second and third theory. Wasn't it possible he had that amount of power because he was just better than Celestia?

"Or perhaps your parents were the gods that decided to give you a second chance."

A cold shock washed over the draconequus, as if he had been submerged in sub-zero temperatures. His breath locked in his throat as he turned to the mare. When he tried to shake off her words and the look on his face, he found he couldn't.

Twilight snapped out of her thoughts and gave a slight giggle, standing with the spirit. "I'm just glad my conscience is clear and I don't have to worry about my mentor hating me. She forgives me." She gave the spirit a slightly sad, but accepting smile. "I've come to terms you will never forgive me, but I'm alright with that."

Discord was silent for several moments and watched Twilight begin trotting through the wet grass and stopping to wait at the front of the palace for her friends. "Well," he began, and the mare turned to him. He was going to kill himself for what he was about to say. "...If Celestia and Luna could forgive me for killing their parents, then..." He trailed off and glared at the ground.

Twilight's eyes shone with wet, exuberant joy, and the annoyed and embarrassed spirit angrily knocked her over with his tail. She didn't even care.

"Alright, we're all ready to go," Fluttershy informed as she began trotting out of the palace with a saddle bag dragging into the dirt. Two crunchy, cinnamon scented cookies poked out of the top of the saddlebag, but as a certain feline paw reached for them she smacked it. "No, no dessert for you for a week! And you are most certainly staying inside tomorrow!"

Discord's eyes grew glassy and owlish, nearly watering from her cruelty. "Harsh." He blinked down at a certain little unicorn that was still smiling gratefully up at him. "Cut it out, Twilight!" he hissed, "I'd hate to have to forgive you and then dunk your head in a vat of caramel all in the same night!" She got the message.

"When we get home I want you to go straight to bed," Fluttershy said in between yawns that said she should be the one going to bed instead. "You still need to take it easy, you know." She rolled her eyes as Discord mimicked her jabbering jaw with his paw, and she nudged him hard in the side.

"Bed, no cookies, no playtime—I get it, _Mommy,_" Discord drawled in annoyance, hovering there on his back as the trio made their way down the hill. "I have one question though..."

The pegasus trotted on and suppressed a groan, certain she wouldn't be fond of any question he wanted to ask her. It couldn't be good. It was probably a negotiation on his punishment, an inquiry if cinnamon buns counted as dessert, or-

Abruptly, something white and fluffy was shoved in her face, its beady eyes blinking curiously and its beak pecking at her face.

"Can we bring Barbara~?"

* * *

><p>(Discord has a pet chicken named Barbara. That's the funniest thing ever. Well, every character has a pet, why not him?<p>

This has to be one of my favorite chapters due to the sheer detail in it. And the many situations, and Discord again being treated as a punching bag.

I didn't have my proof-reader for this chapter, but I think I did well. Microsoft Word didn't give off any alerts (not much anyway), and I edited through it about eight times.

Next chapter synopsis: _With things finally settled between Discord and the princesses, Fluttershy and her friends set to re-kindle the flame between Discord and Celestia. Things don't work out as planned...)_


	16. Chapter 16

"Discord, get Barbara off of the kitchen counter."

The frenzied hen flapped her wings when she realized she had been caught trying to steal a few bites of the pie Fluttershy had just made. Bunny paws lunged at the bird, but she managed to squirm out and flail right off the counter.

Discord flew down from where he was walking on the ceiling and took Barbara into his mismatched arms, carefully fluffing up the chubby hen's feathers. "Fluttershy, don't be rude now to the newcomer!"

"Why can't she stay outside in the chicken coop with the rest of the others?" She moved to gather up several cold items from the fridge, stacking them in a woven basket with a closed pitcher of ice cold lemonade.

"Your precious Elizabeth tried to peck her face off!" Discord exclaimed, horrified at the thought of sending his beloved little foul back to that caravan of diabolical chickens. "Come on, what's the worst that can happen with her being inside?"

The honey colored pegasus's cyan eyes roved over the room to inspect what had already happened. Ornaments were scattered across the floor in shattered remains, and the indents of spindly talons scratched up her wooden floors. It seemed like the worst already had happened.

"How come you wanted a chicken as a pet anyway?"

The god's mismatched eyes rolled around in their sockets when he realized he needed to tell her the whole cave story again. Did this girl have cotton candy in her ears or something? "Well, in the midst of playing the noble hero for little Lulu trapped in the cave, I found-"

"I _know_you thought Barbara was a basilisk and you didn't want to leave her to starve, but I guess I just find it funny that the big bad spirit of chaos has a pet chicken of all things," Fluttershy giggled. Really, she'd expect Discord's idea of a pet would be a two headed dog, or a frog that spat jelly beans out of its mouth.

"Oh, I gave her a small chaotic feature~" the draconequus sang, his eyes sparkling mischievously as he gently dropped Barbara, who flopped to the ground on her belly with a feathery 'squish'.

"Well, what is it?" Fluttershy uttered a squeak as she found Barbara probing her hard beak against her leg as she tried to waddle her way behind the pegasus and reach the basket of food. Fluttershy kicked the basket more behind her and struck out a hoof to block the annoyed chicken from the desired treats.

The chubby hen took a few steps back, her crest sticking up angrily as Fluttershy pulled the basket away right as her beak snapped up the air. She tilted her head, struck out her neck, and looked right up at the pony. _"Moo."_

Discord exploded into a bridle of uncontrollable cackles by the sheer baffled look on Fluttershy's face as the chicken kept mooing at her. Finally, Fluttershy broke out into an awkward smile and she laughed as the chicken kept making the hilarious noise.

"I didn't think making her able to quack would be quite as hilarious," the spirit snickered, "it's still a bird noise after all, and therefore not very chaotic."

The pony giggled and shook her head. At times, Discord's antics were just too hilarious, and made her wonder how in Equestria she had made it through her life all these years without the excitement he gave it.

"Go take a bath and get ready for our camping trip," Fluttershy told him, ignoring the way the spirit rolled his eyes insufferably like a teenager, and flopped back into his warm bed defiantly with a glare.

"I'm not dirty." Discord watched as those gentle, ice blue eyes narrowed and lost their air of kindness. He burrowed his way under his fuzzy quilt, only to squeak as Fluttershy abruptly yanked him out by the tail and leered at him. He winced as she rubbed a hoof over his snout, pulling it back to show him the moist dirt.

Like an endearing five year old, the spirit's eyes went owlishly wide and his ears pinned back adorably. "...The garden was good for mud pies this morning..." He squeaked as Fluttershy's muzzle clamped down on the edge of his tail, and she dragged him off his bed and onto the floor with a hard thud.

"Bath."

"I don't have to listen to-" The draconequus choked on his words as the sinister little pegasus brandished his feathered nemesis, flicking a hoof over the feathers and giving him a smirk that said "you were saying?" The duster bounced and swayed like hypnotic fingers, and Discord bounded up the stairs.

* * *

><p>Ponies turned and tilted their heads and snickered as the bizarre group of companions walked by, only to see two ponies, a draconequus...and a mooing chicken. Barbara made sure she greeted everypony she could on the way, only smiling dozily as she waddled after her masters on unsteady talons.<p>

About halfway through the six hour journey, up the long, sand roads, Discord and Barbara broke out into a duet, startling Twilight and Fluttershy, who had nearly fallen asleep during the infinite trek to the mountains. If the group had been getting looks from bystanders before, they were definitely getting it now.

_"With a-"_

"_Moo, moo-"_

"_Here, and a-"_

"_Moo, moo-"_

"_There! Here a-"_

"_Moo!"_

"_There a-"_

"_Moo!"_

_"Everywhere a-_

"_Moo, moo!"_

"Old McDonald had a farm! EEEE-YAAAIE-EEE-YAIE-OOOO~!" Grinning brightly, the peppy draconequus flew down to the chicken's level and gave her a light, fond pat on the head. "Excellent job, my fine feathered friend! Now, let's do _Oh When The Saints~ Ohhhh..."_

As the air split in two by the eat shattering, clucking moos, and a draconequus's opera-gone-bad voice sent ponies in a mile's radius running, Fluttershy and Twilight whispered amongst themselves.

"So, Fluttershy, I understand you want to spend time with Discord, and you love nature, but do you really think it's necessary to—well, go all the way to Moonshine Forest just for a camping trip?" Twilight whispered to her friend, wincing and nearly reeling at a particular high note from Discord, which the unicorn was almost certain shattered the pitcher of lemonade from inside the cooler.

The pegasus didn't answer right away, and rather, her mouth seemed to scrunch up a little as if she had eaten something sour, unconsciously mimicking the face Applejack made when she was hiding something. "Well, going there for beauty isn't all I'm after... The flowers are nice, but I'm more interested in...who we will meet when we get there."

Twilight's eyes lowered warningly, and she moved her head so it dipped in front of the pegasus causing them to make complete eye contact. "And who would that—they be?" she demanded flatly.

"Well...Luna and Celestia," the pegasus barely whispered. Twilight would have skidded to a stop right there if it wasn't for the fact she didn't want Discord and his hen to bump into her.

"Are you crazy?" Did she not remember what happened last time? Twilight glanced back to see the network of healing cuts and bruises adorned all over Discord's skin. The rim of his eye was still a little black as well. No doubt Celestia was suffering the same condition.

* * *

><p><em>It had been shortly after Discord and Fluttershy had been returned home with a clean bill of health, aside from a few healing cuts. The period of the few days after being released were difficult in the terms of trying to wrangle an out-of-control Discord, who was just so happy to be able to create chaos again, and had been given a large surge of magic from Celestia just before they left. Fluttershy had decided to set up a visit for Discord with Celestia, who was more than happy to oblige.<em>

_Discord had no qualms and didn't even have to be dragged to Canterlot by his tail this time. Fluttershy brought all her friends with her, and told them both they were all going to shop around Canterlot. As both Discord and Celestia retreated to their special place in the gardens, the girls ducked behind a bush just off the garden gates, where they could keep an eye on them._

_Discord's bright, mismatched eyes absorbed the garden's surroundings in awe. It had been eons since he had been here, in the large sea of multi colored blossoms, feeling the velvet petals of the flowers and hearing the bees whizz by as they collected pollen._

_"Can you tell what they're both saying?" Twilight asked Fluttershy, who was barely peeking two binocular lenses out of the green leaves. The spirit and princess's mouths were moving, but it was muffled and unintelligible. They were grinning though._

_"They look like they're having fun," Fluttershy whispered back, "and they're both giggling."_

_"Ou, look at all that nummy food!" Pinkie squealed, copious amounts of drool dripping from her chin and onto Rarity's head. "Princess Celestia has good taste!"_

_"Beautiful," Discord smiled, hovering next to a large patch of roses and twiddling one between his claws. Celestia turned, smiling at him._

_"I never thought you'd call a flower 'beautiful.'"_

_The spirit chortled, summoning two pink clouds at his whim, and making one rise up under Celestia. "I don't normally, but this place just brings back such nostalgia~" He flicked his wrist, and a tendril of gold enveloped the rose and gave it rainbow colored spots._

_The princess focused an exasperated glare on the creature, but his cheeky, sheepish smile did her in and she smirked and straightened out the picnic blanket._

_She had set up quite a spread for them, obviously more excited for this 'date' then he thought she'd be. Everything was arranged with such order (he noted with a shudder). Their favorite cakes were arranged in a small circle on a rose plate, and flower cut glasses brimmed with tea. There were small hay sandwiches cut up into different shapes, making his tail wag at how funny they looked. At least one thing on this pretty blanket wasn't completely normal._ _Perhaps this princess had some taste after all._

_"Ohoho, glorious, Tia~!" the draconequus chirped, swooping down towards the blanket and causing it to ripple as he grabbed a sandwich. He received a stinging slap across his paw and dropped the sandwich with a pained yelp._

_"Drink your tea first," Celestia scolded lightly, wagging a hoof in front of the petulant creature as he sulked at her, and at the discarded morsel on the plate. Her tone adapted that I'm-a-princess-and-I-know-everything voice as she delicately hovered her tea to her lips. After a longing glare, Discord rolled his eyes and sipped his tea as well._

_"I'm drinking the tea, I'm drinking the tea," the spirit muttered quietly, finding the pout dying on his lips as he slurped at the sweet tea. He lapped at the beverage and his lips twisted a little in thought. The tea was good, but it had too much sugar and not enough everything else~_

_Celestia didn't notice the brief flash from her tea, eyes shut in contentment. She gasped and spat the disgusting liquid out as it suddenly seemed tainted with a sour and salty taste. Discord wasn't laughing though; it hadn't been meant as a prank so much as it had been just sprucing their flavors up._

_"What are you doing?" Celestia spluttered, "I spent all morning making this tea just perfect! It had the right amount of ingredients for everything!" She ran her hoof over her tongue to get rid of the awful taste._

_"I only added more flavor, dear~" He blinked as the alicorn immediately transformed the tea back to the way it was. Discord raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as he replaced the cup and took a sandwich instead. It was good, he had to admit. Celestia had obviously spent a lot of time making sure it was perfect. Everything was so organized— so that's where Twilight had gotten it._

_"Discord." Celestia glanced up, violet eyes miffed as they watched Discord's claw absently tap the plate. "Stop that, it's annoying." The spirit seemed even more annoyed, but he did obey without a word._

_They finished their boring sandwiches and perfect, orderly tea and moved on to the desserts. The cinnamon cookies didn't have a drizzle of hot, white icing out of place or even slightly dripping over the warm bread. Discord smirked as he eyed it, and his talon began to glow ominously._

_The plate of cookies suddenly became the color of rainbows, with polka-dots and stripes and pulsating with some fruit goo from the inside. Discord giggled giddily and squeezed the goop out of the cookies, unmindful to Celestia's seething expression._

_"Discord, I spent a lot of time baking those and making them-"_

_"_Just right?_" the spirit guessed, looking the silent, somber mare dead in the eye with a cool look. "Just _perfectly orderly? _That's what I thought you'd say."_

_"What's wrong?" Applejack watched as Fluttershy's smile fell to more of a grim and worried frown as she lowered the binoculars. "What's happenin'? Is somethin' wrong?"_

_"They aren't smiling anymore," the pegasus murmured, watching the two immortals exchange looks that could kill._

_"What is your problem, Discord?" Celestia snapped, eyes narrowing as the god gave a rude and abrupt snort. "Can't accept a little order in your life once in a while?"_

_"And I guess the prissy oh-so perfect princess can't accept a little bit of fun? Oh, by the chaos—everything must be so perfect in perfectionist Celestia's world!"_

_"How dare you!" Celestia gasped furiously, "Isn't it bad enough you ruin something that took so long to make? I spent a lot of time to make everything-_

_"PERFECT," Discord loudly mocked, "perfect and grossly sweet and—ugh—orderly, and..." His reptilian foot kicked up from the dirt and swiped an array of sand into the tea and sweets. He grinned maliciously as the princess fell silent and looked near tears for a tenth of a second._

_"My food..." She set her jaw, and her eyes glistened with wet anger as Discord sneered inches from her face._

_"Oh, it tasted terrible anyway," the draconequus hissed nastily—only to stumble back and take the blanket and ruined food with him as the metallic bottom of the princess's shoe slapped him right, hard in the snout. The girls froze, unable to move._

_Discord clenched his jaw shut and gave a feral smile as his eyes watered and he bared his teeth from under closed lips. A paw tenderly reached up to wipe the blood from his face as Celestia stood her __ground, her expression alternating between rage and remorse. "So that's how you want to play, Tia? So be it!"_

_The six muffled their screams as a colossal blast of electricity slammed into the earth, right where the princess had been, before rolling to the side and delivering a spark of purple flames of her own. They singed the yowling Discord's fur, and he slammed a blast of golden energy right back at her, slicing across her skin in a long and very shallow cut._

_"What in Equestria!" Applejack reared back as one of the bolts ricocheted and nearly singed off her face. She tumbled onto the girls with a screech, and Fluttershy tried to be heard above the blasts and furious wave of insults._

_"Of course you'd never be able to appreciate the time and effort and work that goes into creating something of actual worth!" Celestia snarled, pleased to see the spirit's ears drooped in hurt._

_"And perhaps if princess tightflank actually learns to appreciate the beauty of some good chaos and take the stick out of her-" He didn't get a chance to finish that sentence as Celestia leaped on him in rage, sending the two somersaulting into a tree, where the level of fighting reached one of childishness as they bit and kicked and scratched like children on the elementary school playground._

_"Alright, break it up right now!" Applejack ordered, galloping over the hill and latching her muzzle down on the spirit's tail. He kept right on mauling the princess, who returned it in full, until Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Luna (who had flown down to see what the commotion was about) collaborated to yank her away from Discord. Celestia shrieked as the angered spirit latched onto her mane with his teeth and began to shake and tug on it rapidly, like a rabid dog._

_"Drop it!" Fluttershy commanded, and her glare deepened when he pulled harder on the hair in response. She swatted him on the nose, making him drop the bundle of hair with a small yelp._

_Twilight pushed against her battered mentor's chest when Celestia's horn glowed magnificently as she became intent on rendering Discord to nothing more than mangled skin. Finally, Luna managed to calm her older sister down, and Fluttershy managed to get control of Discord, starting to harshly scold him._

_"I have bite marks on my butt!" Celestia gasped, turning her head to look back at the inflamed teeth marks adorned over her flanks._

_"Tasted horrible anyway," Discord commented dryly, "fat flanks." He was moved out of the way by Fluttershy as Celestia tried to gore him through the face with her horn. The two separate parties retreated with their immortal, and Fluttershy continued to scold the beaten up spirit._

_"You are going to be punished severely!" Fluttershy announced, surprising everypony until she confirmed his sentence: "no dessert for a month! No going outside for a week!"_

_"Golly, sugar Cube, y'all call that a severe punishment?" Applejack frowned, "if he were under mah rule, why Ah'd-"_

_"Well I'm not under your rule, Applespazz!" Discord said snippily as he mopped a bit of blood off his arm. "You're not the appointed guardian. And she deserved it! Celestia deserved it all!"_

_Fluttershy exhaled deeply and surveyed the amount of damage on the spirit. Both he and Celestia were covered with cuts, bruises, scratches, dirt, and even burns from where a few blasts had hit them. She shook her head and led the sore spirit away from the palace._

* * *

><p>"It's a bad idea, Fluttershy," Twilight said quietly. "How did you get the princesses to agree to seeing him?" She knew Luna wasn't angry with him, at least no more than she was with her sister.<p>

"Celestia doesn't know, of course," Fluttershy said, ignoring her friend's gawking as they approached the rim of the forest. "She thinks only her and Luna are going on this small vacation." She stared as the lavender mare by her side wrapped her arms around her tightly and rested her cheek on her shoulder.

"You were a good friend," Twilight whispered, and stumbled as the pegasus pulled back in exasperation. "Do you realize what Discord is going to do to you when he finds out? Where should I bury your remains?"

Fluttershy ignored her best friend and kept right on trotting through the forest's outskirts. The Moonshine Forest was a lot different than Everfree. It wasn't dreary, dark, or frightening. The surroundings were not black, and there were no ominous sounds of growling and distant screeches. The forest glowed with an earthly turquoise, and sparkles danced through the air, like millions of blue fireflies.

"It's so beautiful..." Fluttershy whispered, and a voice chimed in from above her as the midnight blue head poked itself out of the leaves.

"Isn't it? Mother and Father took us here often," Luna said, landing gracefully in front of the pony, and causing the sparkles to jump up out of the brush she stood on. "I haven't been here in a very long time though. I hope the moon flowers are still here somewhere."

"Lulu?" A confused Discord hovered into the entrance of the forest. His voice was hoarse from so much screeching out of tune. "What are you doing here?"

There was a mysterious smile on his sister's face, he could easily note. He turned suspiciously to Fluttershy, but the pegasus had her back to him and was picking berries.

"Hello, brother," Luna greeted with a royal bow. The spirit waved awkwardly, standing there as the gears in his head turned. They clicked and his eyes widened as he whirled furiously on Fluttershy, watching as she began hightailing her way through the forest. "Oh no. FLUTTERSHY!" the entity roared.

The pegasus desperately picked up speed and whizzed through the enchanted forest as the enraged Discord gave chase to his prey, claws out and posed to snatch her, and nails extracted from his paws. The pony shrieked and upped her speed, flailing like a headless chicken being chased by a wolf.

The surroundings blurred in his sight, but the spirit still managed to catch the outline of trees tucked close to him. He struck out his hands and used the trees to push himself off, shooting towards the girl like a rocket and tackling her to the ground.

Fluttershy uttered a surprised squeak as his muzzle latched down on her tail, and he picked her up by the tip of her rosette tail in between his teeth. "Eep! Discord!"

"You're dead," was all the spirit said, his voice somewhat muffled with the bushel of pink hair in his mouth. "Any last words?"

The pegasus gave another shriek, eying that look of burning vengeance in his vermillion eyes warily. "W-well, I—EEEEEEP!" He shook his head rapidly from side to side, like an aggressive dog with a toy. "I just wanted to try and make things right with you and Celestia!"

"Yep, I am going to kill you," Discord confirmed. Fluttershy kicked blindly in the air and managed to free herself—only for Discord's lightning reflexes to catch her again, this time holding onto her with his teeth clamped gently, but firmly into her stomach and back.

"What would you prefer, Flutters?" Discord asked, and now his voice had a gibberish touch to it, although was still understandable. "Would you prefer to be dunked into a vat of pudding, be imprisoned into a blob of jello, or hung by your tail to a tree the entire night~?"

"Um..." The pegasus's hoof went to her mouth as she averted her eyes and thought about her options. She uttered a shriek and jolted as if she had been electrocuted as the dastardly spirit gnawed on her stomach lightly, as if she was some kind of chew toy. "Hehee—I just—tehehee-wanted to make you both happy!"

Discord heaved a harsh sigh, and the squealing little flower tumbled from his mouth as he did. That was just like Fluttershy, always had to make sure everypony was getting along, and ensure that there was no fighting. "Of course you did." He picked up the pegasus, holding her in his palm as he glanced suspiciously around. "So where is princess tightflank?"

"She's probably somewhere close to the spring. That's where Luna said her favorite spot here is." Discord released her and floated through the blue, illuminated forest, looking as happy as a dog that knew he was in for a bath.

"Oh, Celestiaaaa~!" the spirit called, his sing-song voice dripping with sarcasm. "Where is my favorite princess? I'd oh-so like to see her!"

The ponies watched his retreating back and spoke amongst themselves to collaborate on a plan to bring the two back together.

"So what are we aiming for, my little ponies?" Luna asked, "just so I'll know what to do. Do we just want them to make up and be civil, or are we aiming for them to fall in love again? I won't lie—that will take a lot of work. If it's the latter, I'll need some instructions on how to make the atmosphere more romantic." She glanced pointedly to Twilight. "And help."

Twilight perched beside the immortal on the rock and let her horn spark with power. She grinned as she watched the purple electricity charge from the tip of her horn. She had only just gotten her magic back this week.

"I think we should try for a romantic atmosphere," Fluttershy said, smiling as she daydreamed about the two curled up under a heart shaped fountain with a lulling tune in the air as they cuddled. "Maybe they'll make up easier."

Luna's doubts for that were strong, but she wasn't about to shoot the excited girl's mood. She forced a slight nod and turned to Twilight. "Then I have a few ideas in mind..."

* * *

><p>Discord was cruising his way through the magic forest, watching the tendrils of silver blue glitter dance in front of his eyes. Moonshine Forest truly was a magnificent, magical place. Too bad he couldn't enjoy it. Oh no, he had to worry about making nice with a big, dumb, princess tightflank.<p>

The draconequus watched as his surroundings began to rapidly transform, and the earthly blue land seemed to be tinted with a pink flush. Luscious fruits hanging off the branches of some trees became the shape of hearts, as did every cloud. It was as if somepony had puked pink shlop everywhere.

Nice try, Discord inwardly muttered, secretly plotting his revenge against that little butter colored demon. Perhaps dunk tanks of fruit juice, or maybe pluck a few good sized feathers from Barbara to chase her with. What were these ponies expecting? That the hearts and pink vomit would just instantly make him and Celestia fall in love again?

Not watching where he was going, Discord's foot caught the side of a biscuit-turned rock and he ended up plummeting down the hill (which Luna had kindly turned to marshmallow to appease him). He yowled as he slammed into a yelping figure, and Discord was too dizzy to see who it was at first. Then, she turned to him.

Oh joy, it was princess marshmallow butt (who's butt, he noted gleefully, still had inflamed bite marks). Judging by her look of distaste, she wasn't very happy to see him either. Her violet flecks narrowed angrily, matching his own.

"I knew Luna was up to something," Celestia muttered bitterly. "She was acting strange."

"Mm, yes," Discord agreed, tracing a pattern around the pink edge of a cut he had made on her back, not even caring as she slammed a hoof against his claw, far too satisfied with the pained yelp his taunting had invoked. "My pony was acting conspicuous as well."

Eyes still beady slits of wrath, the alicorn haughtily turned her back to the creature, desiring no further conversation with him. Discord did not feel the same way as he hovered over her head and smiled at the damage he had inflicted on her the other day.

"Oh Celestia, I'm loving that dark blush adorned over your cheek. Oh, my mistake, it's dried blood~" he purred, insufferable smirk widening as the princess's ears flattened against her head like an angry tabby. He was mildly disappointed when she didn't turn to retaliate and only kept trotting on.

Celestia refused to indulge the creature, and she was secretly appalled by her own behavior from the other day. Was it because she thought he didn't deserve it? Of course not, but a princess knew to keep a level head at any situation.

She continued on with her trek, finding herself admiring the beautiful pink surroundings; despite their intentions, they were just magnificent to look at. She stopped once she finally reached the shallows of a pink-tinted spring. It still glittered like all else did; only the sparkles were also a sunset pink.

Releasing a soft contended sigh, Celestia slumped into a comfortable sit and listened to the thunderous roar of the falls as they surged into the spring below. The rapid waterfall flowed over several rocks poking out of the veil of water from above, and protruded out of the stone walls.

Celestia's rippling, bedraggled, and tattered reflection was joined by a certain draconequus as he gazed in at the spring as well. He sneered at the condition of her cut and scratched face.

"It's an old classic tale in reverse; the prince and the frog. Or perhaps ogre would be a better term for you." Abruptly, Discord found himself suddenly winded as the mare's back hoof slammed into his abdomen, sending him onto his back, his breath releasing with a compressed _whoosh._Blinking away the wave of dizziness, Discord glared up at the seething alicorn.

"This was mother and father's special place," Celestia snarled in a pained whisper. "Show some respect."

Discord's daunting sneer faded as his eyes slowly roved over the enchanted spring. He could almost feel his parents' spirits there, and the memories shared in the eloquent forest.

The first time he and the princesses had found this enchanted forest had been by accident when they were all young children. Their parents had gone to a 'special place' for the day, and curious as they were, they needed to find this special place. Following their parents' hoofsteps, it had been a tedious journey for younglings such as themselves, but they finally found their mother and father from behind the blue brush of the flora, by the spring.

Never had the children seen their parents so happy, and when it came to their father it was rare to even see a smile on the stoic, elder stallions' face. The two grappled with each other, pushing each other in the spring and chewing each other's manes like puppies. The happiness in their parent's eyes, the love they all saw that day, it was all worth the angry nanny and the cedar paddle that all three of them needed to return to.

Discord shifted in the turquoise grass, suddenly feeling unclean for even being in his parents' sacred place. He knew he didn't deserve to be here. That plus the fact Celestia didn't even want him here had him contemplating leaving. Instead, the god turned his attention to a small blooming bud near the spring. A moonflower, set to open when the moon rose into the sky.

"Have long has it been since we've come here?" The negative and angry air had been put to a rest, at least for the sake of respect for now. In fact, Discord had dabbed a leaf into the water and wiped it over Celestia's face.

"A while," the princess answered. "When we were all teens." She seemed like she wanted to say something else, but she didn't. Too caught up in his own memories, Discord didn't bother to question her.

The ivory mare sauntered to the very edge of the luminary spring, tapping her hoof in the water and watching it ripple. She tried to turn her head out of his field of vision, but the spirit wasn't blind to the droplet that fell from her face and rippled the water. He tried to fight it away, but he couldn't stop the pang from overtaking his heart, and he silently left.

* * *

><p>"Discord, dinner!"<p>

The sun was already on its way into slumber when Fluttershy called the draconequus over to the picnic they had set up. Discord had been quiet since his encounter with Celestia, and he had spent his day with his guardian, sister, and Twilight, but he had been nearly completely silent. Fluttershy hoped a nice dinner would cure that.

Discord floated over and settled on the checkered blanket in front of a plate of sandwiches. Hay, cookie crumbs, cinnamon and cheese – his favorite. He chewed on the gummy bread and drank a glass of chocolate milk in silence. A heavy blanket of depression settled over his chest, which Fluttershy seemed to pick up on as she pulled him onto his back in her lap.

"Something wrong, sweetie?" the pegasus asked, rubbing a hoof in circular motions over his tummy. He relaxed, tongue lolling out in contentment as the motion put him into a state of sheer bliss.

"Mmm..." For a moment, he had forgotten what he was upset about, leg kicking in happiness and tail wagging like a puppy as she kept rubbing his stomach. When he saw the white form on the other side of the hill he remembered.

Fluttershy subtly turned to look at her friends, and they all shared the same look of concern as they glanced from Discord to Celestia. The pegasus waited for the draconequus to climb off of her and float dejectedly into the forest before she turned to the ponies.

"We need to do something. Are there anymore spells you can think of to help push them together, princess?"

Luna shrunk a little under the two prying stares, not used to suddenly being on the spot like this. More or less, it would be Celestia that ponies would ask for assistance. "I don't have very much magic until the moon rises, so I wouldn't be able to do much." She glanced over to where the last, golden sliver of the sun was disappearing.

* * *

><p>Discord continued his trek through the forest, glancing as the rose and neon pink tinted creations faded back to their original blue as the magic began to wear off. His entire body shuddered with every passing moment he spent in the forest. His soul felt...so unclean. He didn't deserve to be here and he knew it. The prospect of walking his parents' sacred grounds made him want to take a panic attack.<p>

He emerged at a clearing past the blue, fluffy cat tails, furiously rubbing glitter from his eyes as it floated up from the flowers. The moon was already rising into the sky, and it illuminated the grass with a blue hue as well.

Discord calculated the distance to home. It would take about six hours, but he'd be able to make it, he was sure. His body no longer got those brief twinges of pain from his injuries; they had long since healed. He could let the girls finish their picnic and he'd wait for Fluttershy back at the cottage. He had just taken a step out the rim of the forest when a voice stopped him:

"Where are you going?"

Discord stood there, silent as the alabaster mare slowly walked up to him, gracing his vision with a pair of confused and mildly concerned, violet eyes. His own eyes turned to look at the wet grass. "Home."

"At this time of night? I thought you and Fluttershy were staying for a couple of days."

The draconequus snorted, but he kept right on walking, hoping to get away from Celestia's third degree. What the hay did she care anyway? Apparently more than he thought since he was halted again.

"Well?"

"I'm going home and she's staying here!" he snapped, and the attempt of taking a single step had her block his path again. "Oh for the love of—what do you want, Celestia?" he snarled.

"I want to know why," she pressed, taking another step and forcing him back one. "Why do you want to leave when it took six hours to get here?"

He stood still and glared at the ground, balling up his trembling hands into fists. He glared at her infuriatingly, concerned expression and tried to turn away from her. "B...because I...I..." That sympathetic and worried face made the spirit want to transform the large pony into a marshmallow and dunk her in a vat of cocoa. "Because I don't belong here. It...it feels wrong being here."

Celestia gave a nod and folded her wings to sit beside the obstinate creature without a word. They both stared up as Luna raised the moon higher into the night sky, decorating it with an array of stars.

The princess turned to the spirit, watching as he gazed thoughtfully into the sky. His ears were down. "Can I ask you something? ...What were you trying to accomplish when you told me about...it? Were you asking for forgiveness?"

Discord remained silent and painfully gazed back at the ground, his ears perched back so far they looked like they were a part of his cheeks. "I suppose that was my main desire, but I figured there was no way forgiveness could come of it. What I really wanted was to get it off my conscience...and finally move on." He flinched at the gentle touch of her hoof on his back.

"That's what I thought. So what do you expect leaving will accomplish?"

"Huh?" He turned to her.

"If you really want to move on and be at peace with everything that has happened, how do you expect to accomplish that if you're afraid to be in this forest because 'you don't belong here'?"

The draconequus stared. Celestia's expression held both a gentle compassion and an inkling of smugness when she realized he realized that she was right. Equestrian gods, he hated when she was right. "I...I just..."

"You really think Mother and Father would want you to be afraid of their sacred place?"

"Yes," Discord said flatly, "I killed them. They wouldn't want me he-"

"The only thing Mother and Father wouldn't want is for you to be scared of coming here because of what you did. I know them—all they'd want is for you to move on...and to not be in pain anymore. They'd want you to live life knowing that you're loved by them...wherever they'd be."

Discord bent his head, knees drawing close to his face to conceal the shine of tears that infuriatingly princess's words had brought. He let a single one drop onto his knee and blinked the rest away. "I'm sorry," he murmured.

"I know," Celestia said kindly, "you already said that before, remember?"

"No..." His golden, feline paw brushed up lightly against her cheek, grazing gingerly over an inflamed scratch mark. Celestia couldn't keep her body from tingling as he touched her face and looked at her with an incredibly serious look on his face. "I mean I'm sorry for..." His paw traced another cut on her face.

Celestia gave a quiet chuckle and grazed her hoof tenderly over a dark patch of bruises near his left eye from where she had punched him. "And I am too..."

The light, slightly romantic mood was instantly shot by Discord, who simply couldn't keep a straight face at the princess's appearance. Despite the fact he did feel guilty for harming her, she did quite frankly look hilarious, as if she had climbed out of a blender. "...Pffft-hehehe!"

Celestia lowered a brow and fixed him with a deadpan look. "What?"

"You look awful," the spirit giggled, "I know I do too, but with these months of bandages, blood, and broken bones, that's a norm for me. It's funny seeing our dignified ruler looking raggy and ugly."

"Ugly!" Celestia gasped. "Say that again, I dare you!"

There was no mocking venom in his eyes or voice as he hovered above her; all his tone and sparkling eyes held was a pure, amused, and playful lilt. "Okay then, your face looks like someone took a cheese grater to it."

With that, Discord was briefly winded after giving a gurgling laugh as Celestia rammed him lightly in the chest, sending the two hurtling down to the very bottom of the hill. They both landed in a patch of moon flowers, causing the blossoms to give a coughing spurt of glitter, swarming the air with blue for a moment.

Covered in the sparkles, the two continued to wrestle. Rather than tearing at each other's face and ripping fur out, they were both biting gently and tugging playfully at manes and tails, trying to drag each other through the flowers. As if they were children once more, they tugged at each other's ears, and both tried to get the other to the ground, pinned under them. Discord pushed Celestia onto her back, but the alicorn managed to wriggle out and slam him back into the flowers, and vice-versa.

When the match ended, Celestia was laying on the helpless Discord, who was stretched out like a slab of cookie dough and already breathless with giggles. "Truce! Truce, oh maniacal one!"

"Are you going to take back what you said?"

That deserved its own obnoxious and mocking laugh, those scarlet eyes glinting impishly at her, confirming his answer even before he said it. "Ohoho, as if!" Before the regal princess could try to glare at him, a pie slammed right into her face. She stood there, shocked, as thick coconut cream dripped off her cheeks, plopping to the ground below. She gazed down at the draconequus through an eyeful of white cream. He only continued giggling uncontrollably, bursting into louder guffaws.

Celestia merely lowered a brow and, as if in warning, she lifted her tail, dangling the glowing, magically wavy fibers of hair above him. He stared, blinking, and his eyes widened as she delicately draped it over his stomach. Sparkles sprung up from the ethereal hair and it wiggled magically against his sensitive skin. Discord gasped and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"I'll repeat myself," Celestia purred sadistically, her sinister grin widening when Discord's eyes began to water to fight back the laughter. "Are you going to take back what you said?"

"Th-the S-sssspirit—HA!-of Chaos will ddddooo no sssuch thing!" Once Celestia started flicking her tail rapidly over his belly and the undersides of his feet the draconequus lost all of his resolve and promptly burst into shrieking laughter. No amount of desperate twisting could save him from Celestia's torturous wrath, and the princess cleverly stuffed her mane into his mouth when he tried to strangle out a call for help.

The blue moon had aligned with the stars in the sky, creating a perfect string of connected astral bodies by the time the ten minute wrestling match had drawn to a close. Discord was hoarse with laughter, sputtering out his final cackling squeaks as the princess blew violently against his poor, abused tummy. Celestia paused in mid raspberry, cheeks still puffed out as a blue twinkle caught her eye.

Slowly, the exhausted immortals pulled themselves out of the cool grass and gazed in awe as a path of cosmic glitter shone from the moon. It danced through the sky, shooting out like a bunch of silver ribbons. Each beam flowed into the moonflowers below, and the dark, sapphire blossoms illuminated with a bright, earthly glow. Like a sea of a thousand lanterns, one by one, each flower was lit up, filling the entire forest with a magnificent, majestic light.

"Wow..." Discord whispered, only now remembering why his family loved coming here. A paw reached out to gently pluck one of the blossoms, twirling it through the air and creating the effect of a blue sparkler. He blinked as Celestia took a flower of her own between her teeth, flanks arched and wiggling playfully, like a puppy with a ball.

With the single motion of her mouth, the flower soared around the both of them, framing the two with a thin veil of colossal magic shaped like a heart. The draconequus turned to her, an almost bashful look on his face, as if they were teens again. He felt something in his chest tingle as she moved a little closer to him.

"I bet Flutter Butter is enjoying this," he murmured softly, imagining the look of pure wonderment on the pegasus's face as she stared at the incredible spectacle of magic and nature. "She loves flowers..."

The alicorn gazed thoughtfully into his deep, scarlet pool of thoughts, finding her heart warming more as she watched the smile curl up the creature's face, his head tilted slightly to the side. "Discord...how much do you care about Fluttershy?"

That caught him off guard. He whirled to her, eyebrow drawn up in confusion, his body shifting away from her slightly in discomfort. "Wh-what do you mean?" He remembered she had asked him something like this months ago, and it was a question he shrugged off, because although he had grown to become fond of the girl, he didn't feel anything deep and meaningful from it. Now he did. Now he had no idea how to react to her question.

"My question is...do you love her?"

Discord found his eyes falling to the dew platted grass under his feet as he fiddled with the used napkin. For once, the urge to violently wretch out the usually disgusting thoughts or make a snide remark to annoy her away from asking him something so deep never even came to his head. He felt his heart wash over with a genuine, ashamed sadness.

"...I don't know. I-I don't remember what it feels like to...to love someone." He tried to avert his downcast eyes, but found his chin suddenly held in the gentle, alabaster hoof. His mismatched eyes met Celestia's beautiful, violet orbs. She smiled at him, and gave a soft giggle.

"Discord...one can be out of touch with love, and they can forget how to express it." She leaned in closer, those angelic eyes focused right on his, her other unoccupied hoof taking his paw gently. "But they can never truly forget how to feel it."

The god's body jolted with foreign, excited and shocked electricity as the princess took his hands in her own hooves, and he found himself unable to pull away. His eyes stayed locked on her, radiating their shock and confusion.

"You just don't remember how it truly feels to love because it's been a while since you've loved somepony more than chaos, hasn't it? But now you've found somepony to love more than chaos. To love someone or something means you can't live without them."

The draconequus uttered a snort and averted his eyes, rolling them at the very prospect. _A life without chaos? A life without chocolate rain, cotton candy, pranks, and turning Angel into a cotton ball at his whim? Unbearable. A life without Fluttershy?_

_...Impossible._The revelation sparked in his eyes as he stared deeply into his old friend and once-true love's loving, and slightly smug expression. He found himself at an utter loss of words, trying to process if he had actually thought...what he thought...he thought!

_A life without chaos and magic? No way he could do it. A life without Celestia or Luna? He'd rather die than attempt it. _Pulling free from Celestia's gentle grip, Discord took a step back, staring in the distance in shock, as if he had just been asked to solve the most difficult math equation ever created. Eyes still owlish and shimmering in wonderment, head spinning with the dawn of realization, he gazed down at the ground, and then back at Celestia. He suddenly found his hands gently enclosed with her hooves once more.

If it was at all possible, the living, floral lanterns reflected in the princess's eyes and made them shone all the more brilliantly as her stare burned a hole into his heart. He was still in a state of total shock, and he therefore had no resistance, and even if he did, would never resist it anyway as she pulled him close to her and tenderly kissed him.

* * *

><p>"It's amazing," Twilight breathed, staring as the ocean of glowing blossoms shimmered, casting a beam of blue tendrils back to the moon and absorbed its power. "I've never seen anything like this."<p>

"It is quite a sight," Luna agreed, her own body shimmering as her magic entwined itself with the moon beams and rose the night light higher into the sky, filling her with power. "Something not many ponies have a chance to see. This is a small, very secluded forest. Not many know it even exists."

"Where did Discord and Celestia go?" Fluttershy wondered, extending her wings and taking flight into the forest. It was once hard to see and she bumped into everything in the night time blindness, but the flowers made it look like an eerie, turquoise, day time. "Discord?" Reaching the end of the clearing, she poked her head out between a few blue, mint leaves.

And there was Discord and Celestia, laying there in the grass like they had always belonged together. Both their eyes were closed, already beginning to drift off into a peaceful sleep under the stars, tucked into each other's chest with a smile of pure contentment gracing their lips.

Fluttershy's eyes shone with tears of pure joy, her heart swelling as she gazed at the mutual, genuine love between the two. Finally. Quietly, the pegasus pulled back from the bushes, the looks of pure happiness across both immortals' faces forever warming her heart.

* * *

><p>It was already six by the time the three ponies awoke where they had made themselves comfortable huddled under the base of one of the trees. The blue forest was now a majestic twilight, the moon still high in the air, having already lost its magic on the flowers as they faded back to a dim blue.<p>

"Oh my..." Luna groggily rubbed at her eyes with a hoof, blinking up in shock when the moon eagerly greeted her vision. It was six in the morning. "Oh dear Equestria! Tia!" she yelped, stumbling through the forest. "Tia, you slept in! You need raise the sun!"

Emerging in the clearing and sea of sleeping blossoms, Luna's navy eyes darted around for her sister. She stared when they fell on two lumps under a satiny quilt. Two groggy heads poked their way out from a fold in the sheets.

"What, Luna?" Celestia yawned, "It's so early."

"Exactly!" Luna said urgently. "It's morning, and you need to raise the sun!" She yelped, hardly having the time to duck the flurry of hooves as Celestia scrambled past her in a frenzy, leaving a moaning Discord in her wake, who clutched his muzzle from where she had unintentionally bucked him.

The rising sun shining light on the night princess's darkened, playful smirk, she looked at her brother. "And what did you two do last night?" she teased.

"It is not what you think," Discord growled, ducking back under his blankets to get at least a final moment of glorious shut eye before the sun blinded him completely. "We fell asleep last night and when it got chilly I summoned a blanket for us."

"Sure," Luna giggled, loving the bright red flushes of embarrassment that filled her siblings' faces. "Breakfast is in a half hour."

* * *

><p>Plates were filled with sizzling, fried hay and glasses were brimming with orange juice—up until a certain draconequus transformed them into glasses of molasses and hot sauce (and was dusted good by a certain pegasus until he finally promised to turn them back again). Discord and Celestia were notably sitting closer (and one could easily see their tails twined together).<p>

"My oat and cinnamon pancakes are ready!" Twilight piped, hovering the cakes and biscuits in a magenta hue and plopping several of them into plastic plates. "Do you eat oats, Discord?"

"Oho, dear, I eat anything," Discord chuckled, "I'm made up of different species and have their cravings." To accent his point, he lifted a small rock into his palm and took a large chunk out of it. The ponies watched in awe as he chewed noisily on the large silver shards, and washed it down with some sand.

"So I see," Twilight giggled. "You like rocks? Does the dragon in you like gems? Spike loves rubies and sapphires."

"Ah yes," Discord hummed in agreement, drool dripping out the side of his muzzle and into the dirt at the thought of all the delicious recipes he created with different stones and diamonds. Soufflés, smoothies, cakes, floats... Blush leaped to his cheeks when Fluttershy wiped his face with a napkin, which he swallowed whole.

"Maybe Spike can get some pointers from you," Twilight laughed, throwing a few rocks into Discord's pancake for good measure. He swallowed them whole as well. Right when he was about to dive into his delicious pancake, a golden beak abruptly nabbed it in her own mouth, waddling off with a moo.

"HEY!" Discord shouted, tackling his mooing chicken to the ground. "My pancake! Spit it out, Barbara! Now! Bad chicken!" He wrestled with the angry chicken for a few moments longer, but by the time he managed to wrench his breakfast from her mouth it was nothing but crumbs. "Dumb chicken." With a pout, he slumped down onto the picnic blanket.

"Here, hunny." Fluttershy smirked and slapped a few of her own cakes onto Discord's plate. Discord squealed with delight and dove into the plate. As he noisily chewed on his meal, he felt his guardian's eyes on him. Expecting the pegasus to be glaring at him and about to reprimand him for his manners, he was surprised to look up into his beaming guardian's face.

"What?"

Fluttershy waited until Celestia left to pack some of her things, and then she eagerly squealed in giggling delight. "You're in love with the princess!"

"EUGH!" The draconeqqus gagged and retched, choking on his pebbles. "_Fluttershy!_" he gasped, mouth gaping. "Now I may be the Spirit of Chaos, but even I abhor such foul language!"

"You love Celestia!" she sang, laughing as he swiped at her and latched his paw around her mouth, pinning her into the ground. "Roo rurv Wr'ereshtia!"

"I will turn you into a butterscotch pudding cup!" The beyond embarrassed Discord shouted, rapidly scribbling his talon over the shrieking pegasus's tummy. "Don't think I won't! Keep your mouth shut—I am not in love with Celestia!"

"Oh yeah, 'cause finding you two in bed together totally didn't give off that impression," Luna muttered, the widest, most evil grin drawing up her face.

Everything fell hilariously silent, save for Discord's mind snapping, exploding, and shriveling to dust. He stood there, frozen and gawking as Fluttershy muffled laughter into the grass. His face was beet red, mortified and enraged.

Luna was suddenly tackled into the spring by her older brother, breaking the silent air with a fierce SPLASH and her own squeals of surprise and laughter. Discord splashed her fiercely and shoved a handful of kelp and mud into her face. She kept laughing though; it was all worth it.

"Oh Twilight, Flutter Butter, how about we make this a large family affair?" Before the girls could utter screams of their own they were suddenly yanked into the frigid spring waters with the sputtering alicorn and laughing draconequus. Discord unleashed a tidal wave on all three of them, his eyes glinting playfully as they squealed from the spurt of freezing water. The laughter of the three was still ringing clear in the forest when Celestia slipped back into the thicket to join them.

* * *

><p><em>(Official romance rekindle. I must say I deeply enjoyed writing the flashback of the fight. XD "HE BIT MY BUTT"<em>

_And nooo, nothing naughty happened. ...At least none that they saw, but I bet Celestia and Discord brought the sea turtles out of the water with the sounds they were making._

_And yaay, revelations.  
><em>

_Final chapter synopsis: Final Chapter: When Fluttershy starts to see some changes in Discord's behavior and realizes he needs something she can't give, she finds it hard to let him go. Of course, every guardian knows when their chicks are ready to leave the nest._

_That chapter will positively brim with emotion because it has a lot to do with my feelings in graduating this year and leaving that school, which has been my life for what has felt longer than four years, forever. In fact, the chapter is based off our grad choir songs "Never Alone" and "Do I Make You Proud")_


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a year. One day today it was a year since everything had happened. The memories of an evil draconequus intent on shaking the land to its very core now seemed so far to Fluttershy as she shifted through a photo album she had recently put together over the past few months. In almost every photo, Discord was trying to ruin the moment in some way.

She remembered Twilight's birthday mere weeks ago, where the draconequus had dangled a rubber spider over Rarity's head, and caused her to scream and flail into the buffet table. She looked at photos of Nightmare Night; what was probably one of the best nights for Discord since he had resided in Ponyville. The draconequus had dressed up as a giant candy monster, completed with candy corn fangs. She gazed down at a picture of him and Luna eagerly scaring the fillies while in their disguises. Lastly, with a warm heart, she grazed a hoof over a photo of the draconequus dog piling the alicorns playfully.

_A year..._ It was hard to believe. A year of living with the mischievous spirit of pranks and annoyance. A year of having to constantly purchase new cleansing equipment everyday, as Discord made it a point to devour her dish towels as fast as she bought them. A year of pranks, bonding...and laughter.

"Oh, Flutter Butter~!" The pegasus squeaked as the spirit swooped her up in the coils of his tail as she made her way down the stairs. "A year ago today was the best day of your life~!" he snickered. "The day you took in the ol' Spirit of Chaos!"

"Best day," Fluttershy mumbled, muffling her teasing laughter in his scales. "Right, it was the best day of my life alright." At his aghast and offended glare she nuzzled his snout. "Yes, it was a wonderful day..."

"It's amusing, isn't it," the spirit laughed, "that we're actually calling the day I was broken into more pieces than a jigsaw puzzle 'a wonderful day.' But so many other things made it wonderful!" he crooned and gazed down at the pegasus's warm, beaming face. "Why it was the day I was finally granted my freedom~! The day I made that _lovely_ tuna-caramel sandwich!"

"And?" Fluttershy huffed, now becoming the one growing offended.

Playing stupid and cackling hysterically inwardly at the frivolous pout, Discord tapped his chin, feigning deep thought. "And? There was another reason?" A proverbial light bulb flashing over his head, the spirit turned to her with a wide grin. "Ah yes! And it was the day I could afford to buy that new pair of pants!"

Fluttershy's ears perched back angrily and she turned to start breakfast, about to pick up a kettle before her vision was suddenly obscured by a satin, crimson object in front of her. "Oh, Discord..." The pony took the beautiful rose into a hoof, tenderly caressing its petals. "It's gorgeous."

"And I suppose it was the day I was...forced to live with a sappy...cry baby, but I-guess-kinda-okay pony," the spirit smirked, hands on her shoulders as he watched her reaction.

Beaming up at her draconequus, the pegasus leaned in to take a heavenly inhale of the flower—only to withdraw with a yelp as it squirted a thick, brown liquid into her face, and Discord fell to the floor in mirth.

"BAHAHAHA! Ohoho—you fell for one of my oldest pranks! Some use water, but I prefer chocolate syrup!"

Without a word, the pegasus wiped the gooey liquid off of her face with a new dishcloth and walked into the living room, rummaging through until she emerged with the spirit's greatest enemy. "Perhaps we should celebrate the anniversary of the day I first used the duster on you too."

"That day isn't today!" Discord croaked out, his eyes wide in terror as he began backing away from the pegasus as she slowly, eagerly, advanced towards him. "The anniversary of that is not today, so I think we should maybe put that back! In fact, I think we should save it for the _special_ occasion of its anniversary, and only use it once a year~!" He cringed at his guardian's vengeful look.

"Hmm...nope, I think the feather duster would be lonely if we left it to collect dust." Those ridiculously soft, evil feathers were inches away from him now.

"...Bye~!" the spirit chirped, and with a vibrant flash of light he disappeared somewhere in the cottage for hiding. Fluttershy shook her head with a chuckle and went to sought out the draconequus, who was currently hiding in a closet and fizzing giggles.

xxxxxxxx

The sun had just touched the mid way point to the sky and was high and golden in town. Sweating vendors rummaged through their paper bags and settled back in a chair beside their stand to have lunch. Diners and food vendors eagerly awaited hungry customers.

Discord and Fluttershy had settled on a park bench with two Styrofoam bowls of salad. Fluttershy was hungrily chewing away at the greens, while Discord skeptically eyed his bowl.

"I think it's moving..." the draconequus muttered, squinting suspiciously at the heap of greens shifting around on his plate. The pegasus beside him rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"You think whatever food you don't like is moving!" At the insistent tap of a talon on her shoulder, Fluttershy heaved a sigh and glanced down at Discord's plate. She stared. There, shifting around in the lettuce, was a small beetle. "Oh my..."

"I told you it was moving. You owe me an apology." He was good at pretending he was offended, especially with those angry furrowed eyebrows and that endearing pout on his face, and the way he turned his back to her. He eyed the food vendor and his face broke out into a dark smirk. With the snap of his fingers one of the tarts on the dessert tray went missing. After a few moments he decided to steal another. _Serves her right for giving me a salad with a bug in it._

Fluttershy's tranquil little smile faded to a look of suspicion as she saw Discord with the two candied tarts. She narrowed her eyes. "Where did you get those?" Flames leaped to her irises as anger set in. "Don't tell me you stole them!"

"...Okay, I won't~"

"Discord!" Furiously, the pegasus snatched the treats away from him and hurriedly trotted back to the vendor to give them back. She rolled her eyes as he called back, "but she gave me a beetle!"

The draconequus snorted in annoyance and slumped against the back of his chair. Surely the pegasus thought that was justified. What was he saying, she was a pony. Something peculiar caught the spirit's eye and he glanced up, watching as a small stage was set up next to one of the vendors. Microphones and stereos were wheeled out to the center platform, baffling the spirit, especially as a few mares followed. Were they being treated to a live show?

_Ah, that's right...the Grand Galloping Gala is next week, isn't it?_ Apparently this year the celebration was getting professional singers as opposed to the sickening classical music and sad, squeaky violins they had each year. It looked like the ponies were practicing for it.

The usual, twisted glee twirled up from the tip of the spirit's toes to his claws when he thought of all the dastardly things he could do to these little walking music boxes. Perhaps start with giving them deep, masculine voices? A mare stepped timidly to the edge of the stage, regarded the crowd with an awkward glance and a clumsy bow, and began to sing right as Discord ignited his talon.

_"There are a lot of ponies in this world, but as time goes on I see  
>The one who really understands and shows me just what I can be<br>And as spring turns to summer, and fall turns to winter I know that we'll forever  
>Through the moments of time, the love in this rhyme, we'll be together..."<em>

Discord's magic fizzled away with an abrupt pop as he closed his fist instantly and lowered it to his side. He recognized that song. It was an oldie, from eons ago. Celestia had a love for sappy, gooey songs, and always had a tendency to sing them. The most memorable time he could recall was on Hearths Warming, and she sang that song while they watched the fireworks.

Quite suddenly the desire to turn the microphone cord into a snake, make the speakers run away, and turn the stage to jelly was purged from his body as he slumped back into his chair. A questionable, confusing sadness overwhelmed him entirely, and Discord rubbed at his temples.

Fluttershy had obviously caught onto the sudden mood shift as the I-want-to-pummel-you look in her eyes was gone when she came over. "Hunny?"

Concerned with the sudden turmoil rolling around in his stomach, and the more than sudden depressed feeling, Discord turned to her. "Can we go home now?"

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Discord felt a sliver of guilt for ruining what was supposed to be an awesome day. Really, he had no idea what was wrong with him. He and Fluttershy were going to head to Sugarcube Corner after lunch, and he chose to go home instead over Pinkie Pie's amazing cupcakes. It was hard disguising this feeling from the ever intuitive pegasus, but he simply disguised it with the excuse his stomach was sick. That wasn't a lie either.

_Through the moments of time, the love in this rhyme, we'll be tog—BAH! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!_ Discord slammed his face against the spongy mattress of his bed, hoping to whack that horrible song out of his memory forever. It wasn't that he hated the song, but more so for some reason, remembering it was making him feel sick. _But why?_ He had made up with the princesses and he could see them all the time. He hadn't even had any nightmares about the situation since they had all made up.

"I wonder how the little dears are doing." Maybe seeing them would make him feel better. Focusing a spell, Discord suddenly made a transparent, hovering screen appear in front of him. It played like a video camera, showing him exactly where the girls were right now. Celestia was there on her throne, evidently trying to write something on a parchment. Luna was trying to take her quill on her. Discord giggled to himself, but found to his annoyance that the happiness was once again being replaced with an overwhelming sadness, and a gnawing in his gut. Well, this had been a bad idea.

"Discord?"

_Oh cheese balls._ The draconequus turned, still hovering the magic television orb in a paw as he gazed down into his caretaker's infuriatingly concerned face.

"What are you doing?"

"Just...uhh...checking on the prissy princesses, dear~ Checking to see if Celestia is as boring and dull as always. Heh~" His weak little chortle was fooling no one, but Fluttershy was too pressed for time to confront him about his behavior. They were meeting the others in just an hour.

"Alright... Get yourself cleaned up though," she told him, poking his snout, which was slimy from having a splatter of salad dressing still over it. "You're a mess, and we're leaving for the picnic in an hour."

Discord dragged himself dejectedly out of the bed and towards the bathroom. Perhaps a nice day of pranking the ponies until they screamed, and turning all their food into bugs would help him feel better~!

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The day was still gorgeous, warm, and filled with the ray of sunshine that the girls could easily feel even under the cool shade of the tree. They were only halfway through their meal, but half of them had already flopped onto their backs, bellies jiggling and bloated.

Twilight was leaning over a plate of perfectly untouched, un-chaotic desserts, and probing at them. "Hmm..." She picked up a few of Rarity's tidy, stylish cookies and turned them on her hoof. Fluttershy watched her.

"Is something wrong, Twilight?" The unicorn was inspecting the treats as close as if she was a detective trying to seek out a clue.

"No...nothing is wrong. Everything is just perfect and that's the thing." She squinted suspiciously over to Discord and frowned in concern at the way he had his head hung, looking like he was pulling at a flower. He hadn't even turned it into a lollipop.

Fluttershy shrugged, albeit awkwardly. "He's not feeling well right now. I think he has a tummy ache." She didn't notice how her friends exchanged looks, confused as to why it hadn't clicked in the pegasus's head.

Twilight and Applejack were no stranger to the sadness consuming the draconequus during their own time away from their homes. It was a terrible, gnawing feeling that there was no shaking off, and you couldn't stop looking in one particular direction, and there wasn't an easy cure for it...except for one thing.

"Hun, Ah really don't think he's jest got a sore stomach," Applejack said quietly, observing the slightly hunched, totally sad, doing-not-a-single-naughty-thing Discord who had his eyes glued to the distant Canterlot. "Ah think he's homesick."

"Homesick?" The pegasus looked utterly confused. "Why would he be homesick? He _has _a home. I know he likes the cottage, but I don't think he would miss it that eas—what?" She blinked as Rarity placed a gentle and yet firm hoof on her shoulder.

_"Darling..."_ she said softly.

It was then the proverbial puzzle pieces in the pegasus's mind finally clicked together and made sense. She stared at the form of the saddened spirit, the revelation making her stumble onto the picnic blanket slightly. How could she not have seen it sooner? Finding him using his little tv screen spell to see the princesses, wondering why he seemed to spend most of his time outside just to look in the distance, and the complete lack of chaos.

"But I thought he liked it with me," Fluttershy whispered, suddenly feeling the warmth of Rarity's forelegs around her neck.

"Darling, we aren't saying he doesn't like being with you, because from what we have seen and heard, that dog would give an arm and a leg for you." She could still remember her own shock waking up in a bedraggled state a day after the basilisk attack, and being told Discord nearly gave his life trying to protect her friend. It had been then the girls grew a new respect for him entirely. "We're merely saying that since he's once again at peace with the princesses that he might want a little more than just a couple visits a week."

"I think what you need to remember Fluttershy, is that Discord has grown up with Celestia and Luna," Twilight said, "and he's literally been with them since they were all babies. He's been with Celestia since he was an infant, and he held Luna when _she_ was an infant. He grew up in that castle, and now that he's reconnecting with his estranged family...he might be realizing what it feels like being away from them. The only time they've been away from each other was when they all hated each other to begin with, and so it never affected either of them."

"So why isn't he telling me any of this?" Fluttershy wondered, "After a year, why wouldn't he tell me the truth?"

Applejack smiled at her friends and then back at the oblivious, sweet pegasus. "Ah think that's pretty obvious, hun."

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash added, "I mean, like, you're the only pony he can't stand to hurt."

"And he'll keep bottling all of this up," Rarity said soberly, "simply because he doesn't want to upset you. He won't tell you, and there's no telling what keeping all this in could do to him. He could start having his nightmares again, perhaps become bitter, or even depressed!"

Her friends' honest words were certainly not a comfort as the possible scenarios played in the anguished pony's head. Tears began to brim over ,and she looked at her friends desperately. "What do I do then? If he's not going to tell me then how should I tell him that I know?"

Twilight came over and placed her hooves gently on her friend's trembling shoulders. Her own violet eyes were twinkling with an inkling of sadness for the both of them. "You need to make sure he knows that you acknowledge his feelings, and that you aren't just thinking about yourself. He needs to know that you're not putting yourself above him." Fluttershy's brimming, cyan eyes searched her friend desperately, trying to understand what she was getting at. At last, Twilight took a deep breath and shut her eyes. When she opened them again they were glassy and sad. "You need to let him go."

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Within the period of the next few days the changes in Discord were now beginning to stick out like a black sheep among a heard of white. Fluttershy was really left wondering why her friends needed to tell her what was going on for her to see it. It seemed every time the pegasus turned Discord had his little magic video screen (mind you, he conducted the spell when he was sure the pegasus wasn't around, and never knew she was watching him from around the corner). What was probably the most concerning was the fact the duster hadn't been summoned to teach him a lesson for nearly four days. _That _was a _serious_ call for alarm.

"I...I got a bunch of jam from Applejack earlier today," Fluttershy told Discord as he sat there on his bed and played with a bouncy ball. "I thought I'd make you those peanut butter and jam squares you love so much."

He stopped playing and turned to her. She was relieved to see his ears, which seemed to lately have a permanent droop, perk up in excitement. "Really? Marvelous~!" There was something about his voice. Even when he was trying to make it sound happy it just...didn't.

"I'll make them later then," the pegasus whispered. She found herself concealing tears and desperately trying to hide her face behind a lock of her hair so Discord wouldn't see them. He seemed too preoccupied with his ball. Yet, the moment Fluttershy turned to go into the kitchen she heard the glimmering snap of him doing his usual 'secret spell'.

Fluttershy's heart was heavy with sadness when she pushed herself over to the corner of the kitchen to her cooking utensils. A small, wooden bird cage was hanging up next to her windowsill. Banana the sparrow rolled up a gentle eye as he preened his feathers. He flapped excitedly and flew to his door.

Tears at the rim of her eyelids, Fluttershy extended a butter colored hoof into the cage, where the bird happily perched upon. She drew out her foreleg and gazed sadly at the little bird. He tilted his head at her and fluffed his sun yellow feathers.

"Wow, just look at you, sweetie," the pegasus shakily crooned. "You're the picture of health now."

She had saved this little bird on a walk to the lake a few months back. On the vibrant, sunshine filled day she had hardly expected to find the weak little thing settled in a small pool of blood after having been violently attacked by some predator. Even Discord almost looked like he had felt bad for the little thing. Recovery had been a hit and miss for a while; there were some days the bird seemed ready to pass and some he seemed ready to bounce back. The fact she had saved the little one's life made her feel even closer to him.

Her cyan eyes shimmered with remembrance as she gazed over into the living room, where a certain draconequus was still gazing longingly into his spell. _Saved the little one's life..._

"Tweet!" Her thoughts shattered by the inquiring chirp of the bird, Fluttershy reluctantly made her way out the front door with the creature, and stepped outside. Banana seemed to remember the outdoors as he gave a small chirp of recognition. Still, he seemed reluctant to leave his new owner's hoof.

Fluttershy couldn't seem to fathom the pain twisting at her heart as she settled beside her favorite cherry tree. It was always a bittersweet scenario when she was ready to release one of the animals she nursed back to health. Her heart was filled with the joy that she had protected and saved them, but mildly saddened by departing with them. For some reason, this release was hitting her hard.

Banana's crest lowered in confusion and sadness by the kind pegasus's large tears, and he delicately nudged his face against her own. This seemed to make her weep even harder as she nuzzled him back and nudged him back on her hoof.

"No," she said shakily. "This is not where you belong. It never was." She scarcely seemed to realize these words hardly seemed to be directed to the little avian. "You had a home before this, and this was just a temporary stay... I took you in to nurse you back to health and that was all. I never expected I'd grow to love you so much."

Banana chirped in confusion as he glanced up when the pegasus pointed to the sky. He tried to perch on her shoulder and nuzzle it again, but Fluttershy wouldn't let him.

"You have a family," Fluttershy whispered. "You're loved elsewhere, and you have to go back to them. You need to go back to where your home is. You need to...to greet your family with open wings and tell them that you missed them." A tear slid down her cheek. "Tell them you've come home..."

Banana tilted his head towards the sky, eyes darting rapidly when he caught sight of distant yellow birds soaring through the clouds. He hopped eagerly on the pony's hoof, but seemed to give it a second thought as he glanced back sadly at the tearful pony.

Fluttershy merely smiled at her little creature as the answer suddenly became clear. She pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Go. Go with your family. All I want...is for you to be happy." She pulled back her hoof and struck it out through the air, tossing the little sparrow and watching him spread his wings to fly for the first time.

The avian soared joyfully, performing flips and twirls as he descended higher to join his long lost family. Fluttershy felt her own heart soar as a larger bird took him into her wings, and several others looking to be the same age as him circled him happily, welcoming him back home. Everything was clear to her now.

Discord, meanwhile had shut his spell down and was eying the large jars of jam. A glimmer of giddiness sparked inside him as he finally felt his chaotic instincts kick in, as his eyes stayed plastered on the jam. Finally, he ignited a talon, encasing the jars and dragging them towards him. Hopping towards the large, inviting canvas of the wall, Discord shoved his paw into a small container of pink icing, and began to sketch some cotton candy clouds. Cotton candy clouds obviously didn't take up much space and were only fun to draw for so long.

_What to draw...what to draw... _There was still plenty of space on the wall, enough for maybe a dragon? Oh fun, a dragon! He giggled giddily. He had never drawn a dragon before. Maybe he had when he was a child, but not recently. It was time to try his claw at it.

The spirit dunked his paw fully into the bucket of blueberry jam. After a few moments he smeared a dollop of crab apple jelly as well. Then he painted in green, white, blue, and pink. This was going to be the most colorful dragon ever created! He barely seemed to be looking at what he was doing and only let his artistic flow and mind run freely.

At last, satisfied, Discord stepped back and kissed his fingers dramatically like all artists do. As he gazed up to see his masterpiece, it felt as if a boulder had abruptly slammed into him from above. "Oh dear..."

Fluttershy walked through the front door with a final sniffle, and tried to wipe away any evidence of tears. As she approached the living room, a further pang stabbed her heart as she gazed at the wall.

Ears perched back silently, Discord's eyes roved from the painting to the pegasus, and settled back on the painting. Smeared over the wall was a multi-fruit-made rendition...of two certain alicorns. The cottage lapsed into a complete silence.

Fluttershy had made her decision.

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Canterlot Palace was only a few minutes away, and both the pegasus and Discord continued to trot their way up the hill. Each heart filled with a separate feeling as they neared the grand gates of the palace. Discord flitted about in excitement, where Fluttershy merely trotted on without a word.

"Oh Flutters, I can't believe you decided to postpone a picnic with your friends to come all the way to Canterlot!" Discord bubbled on, "personally I prefer coming here to spending time with your dreary playmates."

The insult didn't really touch the pegasus, who was too distraught to scold him and knew he didn't really mean it anyway. He didn't mind her friends now. In fact, the past few weeks he had been teaching Twilight new (non harmful and hilarious) spells. Pinkie Pie just loved him, and the rest of the girls had grown a soft spot for him.

"Well, it's been a week since we've been to the palace," Fluttershy said, "and I'm sure the princesses have missed seeing you."

"And vice versa," the spirit chirped, eagerly swooping past the gates and getting past the guards by transforming them into stuffed animals. Fluttershy didn't even notice as she pushed through the gates. Discord was already there, at the front door with his tail eagerly wagging like a puppy.

"Well, come on now!" the spirit huffed, tapping his foot impatiently against the concrete and glowering as Fluttershy seemed to be deliberately moving as slow as she could. "Do you have invisible sand bags on your hooves or something? Hurry up, Fluttershy!"

The pegasus at last made it to the door, but she stopped walking centimeters away from it. Discord looked ready to explode at the pony in rage and was about to say something when Fluttershy abruptly blurted out,

"I'm not coming!"

The spirit blinked a few moments, but he waved it off with a dismissive gesture of his hand and moved to open the door himself. "Oh, going to your little picnic after all? Fine then, I'll see you later tonight."

"No...I'm not coming...back tonight."

Discord leaned up against the swinging doors and rubbed his beard thoughtfully. A smirk came to his face as he looked down at the little pony. "Ouu, a sleepover? I didn't bring my jammies and toothbrush~"

Fluttershy's head fell and she shut her eyes tightly. Tears seeped out from under her clenched eyelids as she gave a few deep breaths. She could feel Discord's smirk falling and being replaced with something more concerned, and she took a deep breath. She had to say it. "I...I'm not bringing you back with me."

Everything fell silent save for a few birds chirping above to try and lighten the atmosphere. The wind rippled Discord's fur as he stared down at the pony, trying to process what she was trying to say. Finally, an awkward smirk to disguise the sting he felt from those words formed over his face. "Oh?" he laughed weakly. "You don't...want me around anymore?"

Tearful, owlish cyan eyes stared up at the spirit, and Fluttershy took a large step, taking one of the draconequus's hands in her hoof. She gave en encouraging pull, and Discord reluctantly fell into step with her as she took him over to the gardens.

"Gotten sick of me?" Discord chuckled, "tired of having your animals be turned into jello molds? I always turn them back!"

Fluttershy smiled lightly through her tears and nuzzled her snout against the spirit's paw. He gazed questionably at the pegasus as she held his hand and ran a gentle hoof over it. "No...that's not it at all." She opened her mouth to go on, but found her words dying.

"Thennn...what is?"

Fluttershy gazed up at the spirit's face. It was etched with confusion, and, she could easily note, sadness. Taking a deep breath, the pony walked out in front of the him. She still had his hands in her hooves.

"You need to go home. To...to your real home, where you'll be happy."

At that, Discord laughed and abruptly pulled from her grip, twirling in the sky and casting several tendrils of gold towards the cherry tree, turning the cherries to gummy bears. "Are you nuts? I'm more than happy! At last I have freedom, and I don't have to worry about going back to that annoying stone crib! And my new pants fit~!" He sniggered. "Lastly, I don't have to worry about frumpy alicorns wanting to wipe me off the earth!"

"You love those frumpy alicorns!" Fluttershy shouted, effectively silencing him and wiping the grin right off his face. "You want to be with them again." She neared him, and the draconequus timidly backed up. "And Discord, that's okay," she softly assured him. "They're your family and you were raised with them! At last, after thousands of years you're all one again. It's completely understandable that you would want to go home."

Discord faltered and emitted a few indistinguishable sounds before he finally managed to weakly croak, "I...I am happy."

"Tell me," Fluttershy pressed harshly, causing the draconequus's ears to instantly flatten. "Tell me the truth. Tell me _honestly_ that you are happy. Tell me you are happy."

All was once again silent, up until Discord mournfully shut his eyes, his voice dipping to a soft, un-Discord-like whisper. "I can't."

The pegasus nodded in silent understanding and felt the pain blossom and tear at her heart. She knew that he wasn't, but it still stung all the more to hear it from his mouth. "And I know," she whispered, cupping the obstinate creature's face with her hooves. "I know you want to be with your special somepony and your baby sister. ...And I know they want you too. I...I just want you to remember that...I'll always love you."

Discord turned slowly towards her, his scarlet eyes reflecting the same emotion in the girl's. Fluttershy had said this to him countless of times, and often every night, like when a mother puts her child to bed with a parting "I love you" until the morning. Discord always snorted and gave it the cold shoulder, or gave the little pony a cream pie to the face. It was a norm in the cottage.

Right now, a strange feeling welled up in the spirit's heart, foreign and forgotten. It was a feeling he felt briefly in the special moments with the princesses, but it had never rung so strong, and he had never seen everything so clear. He opened his mouth to falter out a response, but his words died on his tongue.

"It's okay," Fluttershy giggled softly, "you don't have to say it back."

"Yes I do." The spirit ran his paw through his mane, a stressed out look on his face. He was about to once again open his mouth, but found no words. Eyes and cheeks bulging hilariously and wildly, he slammed his head repetitively against the tree as Fluttershy squeaked and hopped backwards. At last, possibly concussed, he snatched her up in his tail.

Upside down, Fluttershy held back another quiet squeak at the sudden dark pair of scarlet eyes, that were inches away from her own. She felt herself go limp at the sight as Discord glared quietly.

"First off, I want to get something straight, my dear," the spirit growled. "For what I'm about to say if you _ever_ make me say it again, I will personally turn you and everything you know into marshmallow molds and dip them in my chocolate milk. Are we clear about that?"

Dangling there by her tail, Fluttershy gave a rapid nod. Discord instantly dropped her and turned his back on her. Curiously, the pegasus climbed to her feet and tilted her head up at the draconequus.

Arms folded petulantly over his chest, head down and lips pouting, Discord finally began to form his thoughts. _Alright, you can do this... Set aside your pride and let your dignity be torn to shreds, just for a few minutes._

Heartfelt, compassionate, disgusting love-spurting speeches were not in his style, even when he was a generally sweet kid. He took after his father and preferred to keep his love silent, seldom telling anyone how he truly felt. It was just the way he rolled.

Fiddling with a small buttercup, only to watch a breeze take it, the spirit turned to look back to the pegasus who had been politely watching him the entire time. Slamming his head up against the tree until chocolate milk gushed from his brain was more inviting than what he was about to do, but...

"Chaos has always been what's made me happy," Discord began in a barely intelligible murmur. "Ever since I was even little, chaos was just the most important thing to me. In the end, over my love for my family and my love for disorder, you know what I chose."

Fluttershy pressed herself up against his side when she heard that slight, painful warble in his voice. She slipped her hoof into his hand and smiled as he clutched it after a few moments.

"When I got out I still loved causing the grief that I did, but something was...there was a gap in my heart. The real joy of my life was taken from me and I was too stupid to see it. I didn't want to see it because I just wanted to hate my family, because I thought they had betrayed me. It seemed easier to just hate them and accept they hated me. Regardless, I told myself ponies were petty things that were only toys, and it didn't matter how they felt. ...And then I met you."

The sheer, shimmering sweetness in the girl's eyes and the sweetness Discord was trying to convey made slowly being devoured by hungry gummy bears for all eternity more fun than doing something like this. Yet, Discord suppressed his gag reflexes, somehow, and continued with a wry grin on his face.

"To be more accurate, I _re_-met you, since our first meeting was less than pleasant, and at that point I didn't care what your fate was to be." He cleared his throat and the seriousness took back over. "I've had ponies that have tried to reform me, and to be more specific, a certain alicorn, but none of which...used your way."

Fluttershy was beaming, Discord could feel it. It made him want to shove a pie in her face even more as he twiddled his fingers nervously, cursing her for making this even more difficult. His mouth was having trouble working again, cheeks bulging once more, angrily as he felt the urge to slam his head into unconsciousness yet again. He turned again to the girl, cringing at the sweet look on her face, and released a heavy breath.

"...You saved me," the spirit murmured, and devoid of distain, his voice was only warm and filled with gratitude. "In...every aspect. Even after tearing apart your land, everything you love, you still saved me..." He shook his head. All these months and he still didn't understand it. "Why?"

"You have to ask?" Fluttershy laughed, a hoof hovering against her eyes to wipe away the warm wetness. She flapped her wings and delicately flew up to him, lightly touching his face. "I knew you couldn't be all bad, and even if you were...you didn't deserve to die. My mother always taught me to see the goodness in everypony, and no matter how long it takes for you to find it, you will."

The spirit averted his eyes almost bashfully and gently pushed away her hooves as he continued walking slowly in front of the tree. "I told myself I'd never care about a stupid pony. They were worthless to me and it wasn't as if any of them could accept me anyway. They all, even my own family, wanted to get rid of me. ...But then I learned that wasn't the case. They were trying to protect me and everypony else." He took a deep breath. "They just wanted everything back the way it was."

The pegasus looped a hoof around his arm, just to let him know she was there.

"And you helped me..." He turned back to her, and his eyes were radiating with sincerity. "You saved me...in every aspect. You saved my life, you gave me what I thought I didn't even need...and you reminded me what it was like to be happy again. Never did I think I needed Celestia and Luna, and never did I think I'd be with them once more." A talon reached out to gently lift her chin. "And you taught me that even in a society of order and harmony, I can belong."

So he was finally at the end of this sickening little speech. He was certain by now his inward Discordness had blanched several shades of lime green and was probably about to vomit this speech into the grass, but at the same time it did feel, sort of, kind of, _maybe_ good. Cleansing. He wasn't done yet though.

"...Err...mmph-Iloveyoutoo." _There. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?...Gag._

The back of his head abruptly slammed into the ground, only slightly cushioned by the many flowers as the pegasus pounced and tackled him to the ground, her rosette hair tickling as it rubbed against his neck as she nuzzled him. And ponies wondered why he hated being affectionate—he didn't fancy the idea of being crushed to death in a hug every time!

"Yeah, okay—can't breathe! O-off!" His lungs seized and squealed for air as a paw waved frantically through the air to alert anypony walking close by that could help him. Just as the pegasus had started to hug him to death, she hopped off with sparkling tears in her eyes. Discord laid there and gasped for breath for a few moments.

Fluttershy's tearful little smile faded, and she blinked when she realized the poor draconequus was just about in respiratory distress. "Oh dear. Are you okay, sweetie?" Discord managed a less than convincing, wayward smile and pushed himself up.

"So that's your reaction to those words. Okay, now I'll know never to say them again," he commented with a wry smirk, still giving a wheeze for air now and then.

"Didn't you say if I made you say anything like that again you'd...pretty much eat everything I love?"

He laughed. "Exactly." Pushing himself and the girl to their feet, the spirit felt an iota of sadness wash over him when he realized what everything had come to now. ...And that it was time to say good-bye. Of course, it wasn't as bad as they were making it to be. He wasn't going in stone, no one was dying, and it wasn't as if they'd never see each other again, just not often. Perhaps that was the shock of it all. After living consistently together, by each other's side nearly every minute of the day, how could this not feel weird?

The pegasus gazed with a tearful smile up at the sky, watching it turn a pastel, sunset pink. "It's getting late," she told the spirit. "The princesses are going to be having dinner shortly, and if I hurry back I might be able to make it in time to have dinner with my friends as well."

The spirit gave a slight nod, feeling his ears inadvertently lowering just a little, and Fluttershy's followed suit soon after.

"You know the cottage will always be a home for you," the pegasus said softly, letting a final tear quietly roll and land in a patch of marigolds. She reached out to delicately grip his hand. "Goodnight."

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Discord still stood underneath the tree nearly a half hour after Fluttershy had left him. The air was chilly with a light, frigid wind as the sky went from pink to a violet. It still felt so strange to the spirit. Part of him was still waiting for her to come back over the hill and take him home like he was so used to, and when it didn't happen for a moment he was worried something had happened to her. Then he remembered.

It was definitely around dinner now, and perhaps it was one of his favorites as well, topped with syrup, cinnamon, and pickles. Okay, maybe Celestia and Luna wouldn't ever eat that. Discord could hear the sound of clattering dishes coming from the kitchen as the servants worked to put together a meal.

One final time, the draconequus's eyes roved back to the horizon to wait for the pegasus. He frowned and squinted as he saw what appeared to be a yellow piece of paper approaching in the distance. No, it was...a _bird_. The spirit stumbled back a step in surprise as Banana abruptly perched there on his finger. He stared up as a few birds hovered in the air as well, waiting for their brother to join the flock once more.

The tiny avian tilted his head up at him, a smile seeming to be on his beak. He jumped into the sky and joined his siblings. Discord watched as the family circled each other in the air and happily tweeted. Flying in a synchronized pattern, side by side, they slowly ascended higher into the clouds. Twiddling a golden feather in his talon, Discord smiled. He was in a new part of his life, and a new chapter had begun.

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"Tiaaa, I'm starved."

"Patience, Luna; you know that's a virtue for a princess."

"Patience can suck a carrot," Luna muttered sourly.

"Luna!" her sister scolded, giving her an admonishing nudge in the ribs. "Language!"

"I agree with little Princess Moonshine; patience is hardly a feat of mine~"

The voice caught even the dour Luna's attention, who immediately shot up in her seat, gasping in unison with her sister as they turned to the door for the source of the voice. Standing in the pale, orange glow cast by the stained glass windows, Discord timidly knocked on the door frame with a sheepish smile.

"Hi. Am I too late for dessert~?"

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Celestia sat on her favorite cushion by the warmth of the orange flames leaping from her fireplace. A couple of candles sat by her side, illuminating the dark room, her papers, and two certain immortals sitting by her side.

"So dearest, if I'm living with the royal princesses now does this mean I'm a prince again~?" Discord crooned as he dangled the mare's crown over her head. She yanked it back in annoyance.

"Well, I suppose you are..."

"So do I get my own throne~?" He took it again, giggling as she yanked it back with her muzzle and boxed his ear with her hoof.

"You can have one of the little thrones Mother and Father had for us when we were younger, until I decide you're ready for your own throne."

Discord didn't look too happy with that offer, but he decided to take it with a shrug and an absent 'kay'! A mismatched hand reached out to grab the last smore from the silver plate beside the alicorn—only for it to fall on another hoof. Discord's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed when they came in contact with a pair or narrowed navy ones.

"I can almost hear the western music playing," Celestia said, amused.

"You've already had _three_ smores!" Luna growled, trying to yank the plate over towards her more, only to have her brother hold onto the edge of it. "I've only had two! I get this one—it's only fair!"

"Okay," Discord agreed nonchalantly, to both the alicorn's surprise as he pulled back his paw. "But you know Lulu, I wouldn't use that kind of shampoo on your hair if I were you."

"What shamp—AUGH!" The night princess's glimmering, blue hair was suddenly a large green afro before her very eyes. Her hooves flew to her head in horror, which was just what her brother was waiting for. As soon as her hooves became occupied with her hair, Discord grabbed the smore and darted, giggling.

"I'll kill you!" Luna tackled her brother onto the bed, yanking at his arms and nipping mercilessly at his ear as he flailed under her.

"Owowowowow—my arm, my arm!"

"Gimmie back my smooore!" Luna shouted, grappling with her brother on the bed as the giggling Discord played keep away with his younger sister (one of his favorite games from their childhood). Luna gasped and her jaw dropped as Discord stuffed the stolen treat into his mouth and gulped it down.

"Sure, you can have it back if you want to pry it out of my tummy~!"

"You _creep!_ You're dead!"

"No, I'm Discord~!"

Celestia slowly shook her head, touching a hoof to her forehead when she felt a migraine coming on. A bright light had her open her eyes, and she glanced up just in time to see the flash of the green dragon portal as a fairly large scroll fell in front of her hooves, next to the empty plate. Enveloping it in a golden hue, she unraveled the red ribbon and watched in shock as the paper fell and spilled onto the floor.

"Discord, Luna, we got a long letter from the ponies! ...You guys?" Celestia glanced back just in time to see Luna grab her entire glass of pineapple juice and empty it over her shrieking brother's head. Shaking her head again, Celestia poured herself another cup of tea and made herself comfortable to read.

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_First, I want to apologize to you for the sheer length of this letter. Twilight told me this was probably the longest letter you have ever received in your entire life, but it isn't just me talking. We all want to share our thoughts with some important lessons we've learned about friendship._

_I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to look after and get to know Discord. I'll be honest, I've dealt with some vicious animals in the past, but I was still terrified to take him in, even though he wasn't able to harm me with no magic and, well, not being able to move. Perhaps this is just because I'm the bearer of kindness, but I've always believed there's good in everypony, and I was determined to find that good in Discord._

_It wasn't easy, but I discovered there's more to him, obviously. At first I set to teaching him normal pony etiquette, like to show some table manners and curtsy to others. Teaching the spirit of chaos how to be polite is about as easy as teaching a bee how to bark. My teachings didn't seem to be able to do anything, or so I thought. I now realize I did teach him some things, and he taught me even more._

_He taught me to give others a second chance, no matter who they are and what they've done. He taught me that no one is truly evil, and with the whole 'don't judge a book by its cover', sometimes you need to go through a few of its pages to see the book for what it really is._

_Discord has truly impacted my life more than I thought anypony would be able to. He's filled it with such silliness and laughter, and even love. I can't imagine my life without him now, and he's truly earned an irreplaceable spot in my heart. Hehe, he'd probably gag if he read that._

_-Fluttershy  
><em>

_Ever since I was a little filly you've always taught me about the many dangerous monsters out in our land, and how evil can never comprehend good. I think I even remember a day strolling the courtyard when I was six and asking about Discord's statue. You had just told me he was a bad creature that was locked away because he was dangerous._

_Having Discord be a part of all our lives has given me a better insight on what we as a whole label as monsters in our perspectives. We perceive monsters to be dangerous and instantly stamp them as 'evil' simply because we can't understand them and are afraid to try. Through this time of being, what I suppose is a co-guardian of Discord, I've gotten the chance to further study this 'monster', and with complete honesty I sometimes wonder where the monster is that we all fear._

_I'll say what Fluttershy has: that I've grown to care for him as well. I've seen the many positive changes he's instilled in Fluttershy and I could not be prouder of him with how far he has come over this past year. I can safely say I no longer categorize this creature as a monster and I agree with Fluttershy in that I couldn't imagine my life without him either._

_-Twilight Sparkle  
><em>

_Ah'm not one with the words like Twilight and Fluttershy and Ah don't have as much to say as they do, but Ah'd be lying if Ah said Discord hadn't grown on me just a bit. Ah'm pretty sure we've all grown a little fond of the varmint, whether we'd like to admit it or not. It's kinda hard to know someone this long and not develop some sort of relationship with 'em._

_To say what Ah really think of the varmint, he's a mischievous little scamp, always turning mah apples into tennis balls and what not, but as badly behaved as he is, he can be...Ah suppose the word is sweet. He really does make me change mah opinion on him a lot when one minute he's sticking mah granny in a cider barrel and the next minute he's coming back with mah sister on his back after she fell outta a tree. And to be definitely honest, Ah sure in hay don't want to see him stoned again, so I guess that does say Ah like him. A lot. A lot...lot. ...Aw, hay, Ah can't imagine living without the idiot either!_

_-Applejack_

_I love-love-love Dissy! You know, he taught me how to make the world's greatest chocolate shake! He's so, so, soooo fun to play with too! He loves pranking ponies just as much as I do! Twilight and Fluttershy always stop us if we go too far, and wow, Fluttershy got reeeeally mad at Discord when he tried to play a prank on a Harpy during our picnic! She kept hitting him with the big salad spoon. It was real funny but I don't think he found it too funny. He kept shouting "OW" a lot and had to stand the rest of the picnic._

_He even made all the sweets at Sugarcube Corner come alive and dance an Irish jig on the counter. I couldn't stop laughing, even though the Cakes kept yelling at him to stop it. Well, Twilight's telling me to wrap it up now, so see ya, princess!_

_-Pinkie Pie_

_Okay, I'll be honest when I say I hated Discord at first. Although, I think we all did, except for Fluttershy. That's something about her though; she just can't hate anypony, no matter what they've done. Maybe it goes with her whole Element of Kindness thing, 'cause I noticed that when the bullies that used to pick on her when we were kids apologized. I mean, she just instantly forgave them. I would have beaten them up first, and then forgiven them._

_In regards to Discord though, I guess as much as I rather hated him at first, even I felt a little bad for the poor guy after he was nearly beaten to death. Heh, the first time I mean. I know we were all sure that he'd go right back to being a jerk and evil and we'd have to stone him again as soon as he was better, but that didn't happen. I don't know, I'm not saying he turned good, because he didn't really, but... well, Twilight put it at him learning a limit to his chaos and not outright harming anyone with it anymore. Can that be considered a full turn around?_

_Anyway, I think it's when he saved my pal's life that I gained respect for him. We all did. Also, he's a pretty awesome pranking buddy~!_

_-Rainbow Dash_

_Hmph. No matter what Discord has done for Fluttershy, he'll always be a dog that made me fall in love with a rock. In total honesty though, a dog or not, I can't hate him and I don't even want to hate him anymore after all he's done. He's still a petty and obnoxious thing, but I don't think that's liable to ever change. It might honestly be a bit strange if it did._

_I'll always be grateful for the fact he saved my friend's life, and I suppose I also need to be grateful that thanks to him Sweetie Belle has become one fabulous actress and has been invited into her school's new drama club that's started up. In fact, she's the lead in almost everything now. When he and Fluttershy are over he sometimes likes to run lines with her. I've got to say, with how melodramatic he can be at times he should be right alongside my sister in the drama club!_

_-Rarity_

_Discord has impacted our lives a lot more than we ever thought he could, and we've grown to love him and accept him into our family He's taught us all so much, from how to make the best cotton candy, to always giving a second chance, and we're so glad we did. We're happy to share our thoughts of what we've learned about friendship, and we hope you've enjoyed this insightful report._

_Your loyal subjects,_

_Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinke Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity_

Celestia finished the letter and rolled it back up with a smile. She gave a soft and happy sigh of absolute joy and turned to look back at her family. Luna was sulking at the edge of the bed and watching angrily as her older brother devoured the tray of cookies.

Smiling, wings folded, the princess approached Discord's lounging, and munching form. She nuzzled the side of her love's face, causing the bulging-with-cookie cheeks to turn towards her with a questioning tilt of the head.

"So my little Discord, do you have anything to report to me with a lesson you learned about friendship?"

The draconequus smiled, swallowed, and belched loudly right into her face. "Nope~!"

xxxxxxxx

(_May the angels protect you  
>Trouble neglect you<br>And heaven accept you when it's time to go home  
>And when hard times have found you<br>And your fear surround you  
>Wrap my love around you<br>You're never alone_

_Never alone_  
><em>Never alone<em>  
><em>I'll be in every beat of your heart<em>  
><em>When you face the unknown<em>  
><em>Wherever you fly<em>  
><em>This isn't goodbye<em>  
><em>My love will follow you stay with you<em>  
><em>Baby you're never alone<em>

_Oh man, can't believe it's over. ;_; XD Can't believe it's over. Well no, it's still got an epilogue, deleted scenes, and the preview for "Distorted Worlds" and then it's over. And I dunno why, but the paragraphs went wonky when I tried to do the traditional letter signatures. I tried for a half hour to fix it. I'll try again tomorrow._

_This chapter hit me hard because of me graduating and going through similar feelings of leaving what's become a home, and my family. ^^; But I loved writing it. I'll write more of a description tomorrow, but I gotta sleep._

_Also, my friend says if this was featured once when it's updated it'll be in the featured box again. IS that true?[ If so I don't wanna miss it this time!_

_ALSO, check out my newest blog. :D It's got art of "Broken Spirit")_


	18. Chapter 18

"So if you and Celestia get married, who's going to be your best mare?" Pinkie wondered. Discord ended up choking on his fig newton, and pounding his chest as he turned to the bubbly earth pony.

"Excuse me? We've only been tog—well, re-been together for three months now!" Discord exclaimed, "And you've already got us picking out fancy china?"

Clearly he and Celestia were well on the road for marriage, as they were supposed to be eons ago. Even though it was custom for the stallion to ask the mare, if Celestia was the one to pop the question he'd say yes in a heartbeat. Having the alicorn was something he had wanted since he was a child, and something his own stupidity had deprived them of long ago.

"Wife or not, she will not be exempted from any of my ploys at all! None whatsoever! She'll be as open as the rest of them all. Even the mare I love isn't going to get special treatment."

Of course, Celestia was used to his pranks anyway, as was Luna. Well, not so much as used to it as it was having their own methods with punishing him just as Fluttershy did. Neither had a duster nor used it; Luna preferred just beating the chocolate milk out of him. He still had a faint bruise on his cheek from the day he put frogs in her closet. Celestia's punishments ranged depending on what he did, but at least he'd never be a dashing garden gnome again.

"Well, we all know it's going to happen," Twilight pointed out, hovering a cup of juice to her mouth. "You two are simply in the stars."

"A match made in heaven," Rarity joined heavenly.

"Head over hooves for each other," Rainbow sniggered.

"And did we mention madly in love?" Applejack chortled.

"GA-A-AAAG!" Discord flopped onto his back in the grass, effectively crushing Twilight beneath his heavy-with-cotton-candy-and-sweets form and reveling in her squeaks. "Oh you ponies are going to kill me! And everyone wonders why I have such difficulty living in a world with you all! This cuteness, _love!_ Bleh!"

"I wanna plan the reception!" Pinkie announced, "I get the reception! It's mine!"

"Oh, I have such a lovely idea for her wedding dress!" Rarity fawned. "Oh, do you think she'll pick us as bridesmaids?"

Eye twitching, as was his body, Discord gave a deadpan glare as Rainbow Dash nudged his arm. "Hey, can I do a Sonic Rainboom at your wedding too?"

"Quiet!" Discord shouted. "I don't know why you ponies are talking about something that could be millenniums in the future, but I'll indulge you. I don't know about everything else, but I know who my best mare will be..." He turned and gazed down at a small, saffron pegasus. She stared at him, eyes shining.

"R-really?" she squeaked, already looking about to pounce and squeeze him with hugs.

"Well I guess so," the spirit drawled. "I mean, I kind of like y-" He was cut off with an abrupt yelp as the exuberant little butterball literally talked him to the ground, staying tightly clung to his face like a piece of saffron velcro. "Waah! Fluttershy—yech! Get off!"

"Am I...interrupting anything?"

Discord bolted to his feet with the little monkey still attached, hands flailing and grabbing at the air as he tried to find something to grab on for leverage. "Yes you are, Tia! Thank you!" He walked around in cautious blindness as the pegasus kept clung to his face, nuzzling it—only to slam into a tree and tumble back onto the picnic blanket.

After the laughter had died down and the cuddly little monster was off him, Discord and Fluttershy walked off with the alicorn. "So what's going on, Tia?" the spirit asked, holding his throbbing head. "Something you want to tell us?"

"Actually, I have something I think you both might want to see." Celestia's violet eyes held an eager gleam, but not one that excited Discord to any degree. Her idea of something fun and exciting and his idea were two entirely different things.

"Oh really," the draconequus drawled, falling in step behind his love anyway. "Well let's see what's so exciting—huh?" He blinked (which was painful and chafed his eyes) as all he saw was a large, blue blindfold, that quickly tied itself around his head. He stifled a yelp as Celestia's playful voice rang just beside his ear.

"Oh you aren't seeing anything," the princess grinned, a hoof poking at his pouting lip, "Not yet anyway. I'll tell you when you can take that blindfold off." A magic hue engulfed both Discord and Fluttershy's forms, causing them to automatically walk behind her, and make sure they didn't bump into anything.

Guided through the long, palace halls, the two gave a squeak of surprise as they were suddenly halted there on the spot. Even beneath the blindfold, they could both feel the warmth and see the light from what was obviously one of the windows. Celestia brought them to a window?

"Take off your blindfolds!"

Eagerly, they did, and let them flutter to the ground as they gaped up at the amazing sight before them. Stretching to the ceiling, gleaming at them, was a brand new stained glass window—of them! They were in a jewel-like field, and looked to be running side by side. Discord glanced back at the first stained glass window with him controlling the ponies...and dangling them over flames. He then gazed back to the new one and smiled.

_How things have changed..._

"A third stained glass window!" he chirped, "Why, I'm just getting more and more famous." A warm smile snaked over his lips. "Honestly though, I think this one is definitely my favorite of them all." He scratched at his beard. It was missing something though. With the snap of his fingers, the boring and normal background of the window turned into a land of cotton candy and sweets. Discord gave a wide grin, but it fell with a pout as Celestia immediately turned it back.

"This window represents the moment in time that the honorable bearer of kindness reformed one of Equestria's greatest foes," Celestia said.

"GAG!" Discord almost wretched there right on the spot, giving a shudder at the unadulterated sweetness of the alicorn's words. "Yech! Tia, if you must phrase it anyway, I prefer you say 'the day the Spirit of Chaos developed a slight appreciation for harmony and order.' It's much less disgusting."

"Oh, your majesty, this is such a _wonderful_ surprise," Fluttershy breathed happily, giving Discord a small nuzzle. "I love it so much. It's certainly a day I won't ever forget either..."

"Bleh, yes, it's very lovely," Discord rushed on, "but I'd appreciate it if we'd stop talking about sentimental cr-"

"Dis-COOOORD!"

Faster than you could say "chaos", Discord began tearing out of the hall with a dark blue, familiar, seething blue form pursuing him with all her speed. The girls watched as Luna sent the spirit haphazardly tumbling after savagely lunging at him. Celestia raced to his aid right as Luna raised a hoof to give him a black eye.

Poker faced and glaring, Celestia enveloped the two in a violet hue and peeled them off of each other. Even though he was shielding his entire body, Discord had one of his insufferable smirks over his face. "Alright, what in Equestria is going on now?"

"He put slugs in my bed!" Luna shouted. "They're all over my mattress and pillowcase!"

"Well, you said you hated the texture of your new mattress." Discord's tone was beyond amused, and desperately concealing laughter. "So I changed it to something, say, a bit more slimy~? Oh besides! Slug slime marks make for a nice tattoo design on the sheets."

"My hoof can make some nice black and blue tattoo marks on your body!"

"CHILDREN!" Celestia was pleased to see that effectively shut the younger immortals up. They hated to be called kids, and it was an intelligent tactic her father used when they were much younger. Luna and Discord had the typical get-out-of-my-room relationship most siblings had, and really could be quite childish at times. Okay, well, Discord was childish all the time. "Now you two need to start behaving yourselves. I'm entrusting you both with very important responsibilities for tonight."

Discord perked, but Luna looked horrified.

"You're both going to be given important duties for the Gala this evening," Celestia told them, circling them like a stern militant commander. "I expect you both to take them seriously. Luna, you are going to be in charge of greeting our guests at the door." She gave a wayward smile and leaned in closer. "So please, sister, remember not to scream in their faces. And Discord, I'll discuss what your duty is going to be later tonight. You are excused to go get a grooming for the formal."

"Will do, _your highness_," Discord mocked playfully, "I did want to try my new honey and onion hair gel!" He disappeared down the corridor, chasing down the hapless servant who was to help get him ready for the evening.

"Sister, are you _mad?_" Luna screeched, "You're actually going to give the nutball a duty for the formal? He'll ruin everything! Surely you realize that, sister. It's not a good idea."

"Lulu, that is actually what I'm aiming for," Celestia smirked. It gave away to princess-disdain as she paced the tiles with a heavy sigh. "I tire of acting like the dignified, regal ruler all the time. I need to behave that way for everything, and my idea of a good time does not involve high-class, classical music loving ponies that drink tea all night long and talk about how much money they make. I invited the girls last year because I wanted them to liven things up a bit, and my intent is the same with Discord this year."

"I guess I see what you're getting at." Luna behaved like royalty around her subjects and her subjects only, and preferred lively parties to formals. "I just hope you know what you're doing."

xxxxxxxx

"Prince Discord, please stop smearing gel over the mirrors!" Purple Comb angrily yanked the disgusting, raunchy bottle out of the pouting spirit's hands and set it aside. "Now look straight in the mirror—I'm trying to do your bangs!"

"I don't have bangs!" Discord griped, trying to bat away her poking and tugging hooves. He leaned over in the turning chair to gaze at his form in the mirror. Sure enough it seemed one of the combs had pulled out a bang from his fur that just slightly lapped over his eyelids a little. His mane had been slicked back and was now smooth instead of jagged. He looked so different. So..._normal_. Yeck!

"We're almost done, Prince Discord," Purple Comb placed her hooves on his shoulders to hold him still. "Stop squirming! I'm trying to fasten your bow tie!"

"A _tie?_" He bolted from that reclining chair as if it was on fire, backing up into the corner of the room and glowering furiously at the mare. "A tie is where I draw the line! The answer is no." They'd have to tie him up kicking and screaming if they wanted to get a tie on him! He wasn't going without a fight!

"Prince Discord, please stop being so melodramatic!" Purple Comb snapped, advancing the chaotic creature slowly, cautiously with the bow tie. He kept his narrowed, vermillion eyes locked on it like a hawk, following its every movement. She lunged over the counter, knocking over several bottles of hair dye as she did. "It's customary for royalty to wear formal attire, and so you must wear a bow tie!"

"When I'm King, that's all going to change!" Discord snapped, darting around the room like a headless chicken as Purple Comb kept hot on his tail. "Royalty will be able to wear whatever they want, and I'll be wearing a cape made of swiss cheese!"

"Well. You. Aren't. King. YET!" The mare gave a final leap and managed to tackle the draconequus to the floor. Pinning his arms over his head with a surprising level of strength, she fastened the bow tie around his neck and shoved him to his feet. "There! You're ready for the formal! Now for the love of Equestria, get out!"

She didn't need to tell him twice, and Discord had bolted out of that door faster than anypony could blink. He paused in the hall and surveyed his appearance. An aroma of sickening lilac wafted from his fur, so sweet and clean he wanted to vomit. His toenails had been shined and his feet had been vigorously cleaned. Oh, the scrubbing of his feet had been pure torture (although he reveled in the bruises he inflicted on the pedicurist with all his thrashing and giggling). Everything on him was so clean and disgusting! Of course, Celestia would probably jump at the chance to be with someone as dashing as him. That was at least a bonus.

_Just one thing left to do.._. Glaring venomously at his bow tie, Discord snapped his fingers, and instantly the dreary black was now a wacky, lime green with red polka dots. _Perfect!_ As for the rest, he could probably find a good mud puddle to douse himself in before the thing started.

Waltzing down the hall and smirking at the way some servant's mouths dropped by his appearance, Discord gazed outwardly when he caught the sight of a certain honey colored blob running towards him.

"Discord! Discord!" Fluttershy, he had to begrudgingly admit, was absolutely adorable; a regular little doll. Rather than her green one-with-nature dress she wore last year, she was now flouncing in a brilliant yellow gown, its shape and color pattern similar to a butterfly. In her curled up mane was a white hydrangea pinned up in a lock of her hair.

"Flutter Butter, you..." He held out his hands to halt the energetic little nut before she ran him over. "You look...like a bug."

"Isn't it adorable?" the pegasus giggled. "Rarity made it for me! All of us have new dresses thanks to her."

"Yes, you're a gem," Discord griped, still unhappy with his own handsome appearance. "Look at me—I'm like one of those high class Canterlot snobs! Oh dear Equestria, I'm a male Rarity!" he wailed, falling to his knees. A blazing red eye peeked up to glare as Fluttershy started giggling. She stopped immediately.

"Sweetie, relax..." Her voice still held a wobble to it, threatening to start giggling again. "You're not...a male Rarity. It's important to look very distinguished for these kinds of events, especially if you're royalty. Don't you feel good though? I mean, they're treating you this way and pampering you because you're a prince again. You'll be king one day!"

Well that was true. He had that to look forward to more than anything. Of course, when it came down to it if he and Celestia married she probably wouldn't even give him any power. He'd only have the title of king and that was all. "Yeah, now if you'll excuse me, I need to go throw up," Discord said sourly. "This outfit is making me sick."

xxxxxxxx

"Tia...you look great. Come on, get out, sister."

At last the embarrassed sun princess threw open the doors and stepped out. For royalty, her posture was less straight and dignified and more bashful and childish. Pink flushed her cheeks and Luna knew her sister wasn't wearing blush.

"Why are you so nervous?" the princess smiled, fluffing her sister's ethereal curls and straightening her necklace. "It's me that should be nervous. I haven't greeted the commoners since the catastrophe that was Nightmare Night!"

"I'm just not used to looking like this..."

"I know it's different than what we are both used to, but it's only for one night. And you truly do look like the goddess of the sun, Celestia."

Celestia's violet flecks shone with affection as she gently nudged her little sister's cheek. "Thanks, Lulu." As she moved to tuck her tiara into her mane it was slapped out of her hoof. The princess watched as it clattered to the floor.

"No..." Luna bit her tongue with uncertainty, not all comfortable or accustomed to greeting the commoners without royal attire. Still... "No royalty stuff tonight. Tonight is about us all having fun..."

Celestia nuzzled against Luna's forehead slightly, still regarding her gown timidly. It was absolutely beautiful, from the sunflower collar, to the golden glitter lining the bottom ruffles. Gorgeous as it was, she was still nervous to be seen in public looking like this. She had no idea Discord was facing the same thing.

Still grumbling and growling to himself, Discord slipped into the large, walk in closet, only to find himself frozen to the spot by the dazzling sight before him.

There stood Celestia in the middle of the room, looking akin to a goddess (oh wait, she was one) in her flowing, satin gown. The ruffles glimmered in the moonlight, as did the golden shine on her new slippers. Every strand of ethereal hair had been crimped, and her single strand that hung in her face before had been braided slightly and clipped with a small golden barrette. The collar of her dress was more like a chain of golden flower petals, accented in the very center by a sunflower piece.

Once his mouth could lift itself off the floor, Discord smirked lightly. _So Rarity did go with sunflowers... _He advanced his mare and found himself actually going _bashful_, and trying to remember how to make words come out of his mouth. "Wow, Tia... You look...um...not ugly."

Celestia giggled and walked up to the stunned spirit, brushing her cheek against his lovingly. "You look 'not ugly' as well." She pressed her lips against his in a gentle kiss, bringing the speech back to him.

"Well!" He was in the more cheerful of moods now. "Let's head off to the Great Goobery...Gala, or whatever it's called." He looked down at his appearance. It suddenly didn't seem so yucky anymore.

xxxxxxxx

Luna gazed down through the open doors of the palace, shrinking in on herself at the number of ponies she needed to greet. She wasn't used to door duty. "Tia, I'm a little nervous." Her sister by her side gave her a reassuring nuzzle.

"Lulu, dear, you'll be fine," Celestia promised, brushing back a few of her sister's crimped bangs from her azure eyes. "All you need to do is welcome the ponies into the formal—it really isn't that hard. Now, I have to go get Discord set up for his duties."

Luna cringed at the thought. "Be careful with him."

Celestia gave a wayward smile and trotted down the hall. Her new, heavier slippers made a harder clack than usual. She didn't understand what the point was in wearing such heavy footwear if she was supposedly going to be dancing, but her mother always wore it.

The Gala had never fascinated her, even as a young mare. It had been a tradition since her parents ruled, but a young girl's mindset wasn't too interested in tea and crumpets, and horridly whiny violin songs. She giggled in remembrance of a preteen Discord eagerly dousing the floor in glue, and remembered how the two had laughed and rolled about as the ponies wailed about ruining their outfits. Of course, her father and his switch didn't find it very amusing, but the night was still a blast.

"How long are you going to just sit there and stare off into the distance?" Discord snapped, effectively startling the mare out of her thoughts. He was there sitting by the door, impatiently gazing in at the ballroom as servants busily made last minute preparations.

"I'm just reminiscing, dear." She stood beside him, biting back a giggle at the way his tail thumped the ground anxiously, like a puppy waiting for its owner to give them the treat. "You seem anxious!"

"Well for the first time in _eons_ I'll get to attend and..._decorate_ the great formal!" he grinned, "And I get to practice my dance moves~!"

The princess smiled and inched a little closer, her ivory form pressing against his side. "Are you going to dance with me?" she asked sweetly.

"Sure, if you can dance the Tango~!"

"Hunny, they don't...play the Tango at the Gala."

"Enter Discord~!"

Celestia sighed and pulled the bouncing creature away from the window, turning him to look at her. "Now, I want to set the rules for tonight." A small grin formed on her face at the way his dropped.

"There's rules?"

"They're not very restricting," she smiled, "I promise. Rule one: whatever you do, whatever prank you pull, it must not harm or possibly endanger any of the ponies." She glanced over as a thoughtful look came to his face and he stroke his beard.

"...Not even the snooty rich ones~?" He yelped at the punishing smack that invoked from the angered alicorn, and quickly washed the thoughts of trapping them all in a giant jello mold out of his head.

"Rule two," Celestia continued, ignoring his question, "is that you must not destroy too much there, and do not destroy anything expensive. For example, no going after the instruments, and no genuine explosions, like your chocolate bombs... That could injure ponies and it's frankly very messy."

"Anymore rules?" Discord griped.

"No." She took a few sharp strides to him, glaring holes through his head and forcing him back into the wall a little. "I've set the rules, so now let's set the consequences. If you break any of these rules, especially harming a pony, you will permanently lose your magic for two weeks, and perhaps some other punishments you won't find particularly pleasant..."

Discord was tempted to make a joke, but bit it back at the sheer fire in the mare's eyes. Well, he frowned upon the 'not destroying anything expensive' rule, but he could work with it. As for the other rules, he wasn't planning on hurting any of the guests anyway.

Celestia took a step back, and her horn glistened with a soft, purple gleam. Slowly, it began to brighten and illuminate the entire room. After a few moments it erupted with a blinding glow, followed by a glisten of gold. A golden beam suddenly surged from her horn and shot forward, into Discord's body with a powerful fizzling noise. It disappeared somewhere in his chest.

Discord stared down at his body as it dimly glowed, and he looked down at his hands; they were sparking with golden tendrils. With a loud whoop of joy he bolted up into the air and cackled maniacally. "Yes! Yes!" It was all back, his beautiful, glorious magic! With a quake of the tiles large lollipop flowers sprouted out of the floor, and it suddenly began to rain soda and thunder with green streaks of lightning. "Mwahahahaha!"

Grinning, he turned to look down at Celestia, expecting her to be smiling at him, and his own enjoyment instantly deflated like a pricked balloon when he realized she was cowering and staring up at him with fearful, owlish eyes.

"Tia..." With the snap of his fingers, the lollipop flowers were gone, as was the sudden edible storm. He floated down to the shaking mare and placed a hand lightly on her face. "Too soon?" he murmured, pressing his cheek softly against hers.

xxxxxxxx

"Good evening, everpony," Luna said politely to each guest that walked in through the doors. "I hope you all have a wonderful time tonight."

She sounded like a broken record, Discord dully noted. She could really use something to spice up her act. Suddenly, a mustache abruptly sprouted across her face, long and furry. She obviously didn't realize, but was perplexed by the weird looks and snickers it invoked. Discord was attached to the ceiling and laughing hysterically.

It was then Luna saw her brother's shadow and saw him rolling around in mirth. Seeing the hanging strands of hair from the mustache, she furiously tried blasting him (not enough to injure him, but at least enough to sting the spot it inflicted) with her horn, only for him to dodge it, laughing harder.

"You creep!" she seethed. "Get out! You have your own job to do!"

Chortling in amusement, Discord slithered his way into the ballroom. It had already begun to fill up a little, with a small group of posh ponies sitting at the tables and waiting to be served. Discord was waiting for Celestia to give him his cue to wreak havoc. It wouldn't be long now...

"So Ah hear the princess is 'letting ya off yer leash,'" Applejack snickered as she began stacking a bunch of her dishes on her own table.

"Leash?" Pinkie Pie quipped, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "The princess puts you on a leash too? I thought just Fluttershy did that one time!"

"Naw, Pinkie, it's—never mind." Applejack looked up as a customer came to her table: A high society, British unicorn, gazing down at the country mare with a wrinkled snout, a cup of tea hovering by her side. "Well howdy, ma'm!" Applejack chirped. "How would ya like to buy some deee-_licious_ apple-caramel donuts?"

The mare drew back in disgust as if Applejack had offered her a bowl of ice cream with a frog in it. "Ugh! Disgusting—as if I would eat something like that! Look at it, it's all greasy, and..." She poked one with a hoof, causing it to make a slick flop. "Please, I wouldn't dare assault my taste buds with that."

Applejack was positively fuming; it was visible from her scarlet face to her nearly shaking hooves. Discord contemplated jumping somewhere to hide before she blew. "Well, how dare ya! This is mighty fine food—the best donuts from Ponyville ya'd ever taste! This is an old family recipe, and how dare you talk about mah Ma's recipe like that!"

Discord glanced back over at how the mare was shaking. He narrowed his cold, wrathful eyes at the unicorn and ignited his talon. As the mare went to take a sip of her tea, it suddenly bubbled and two large eyeballs appeared inside it. Discord didn't even fall to the floor in mirth as he emitted a blood curdling scream, too happy with justice biting her in the flanks.

Applejack tried to have an inkling of sternness in her voice, but her eyes held admiration and gratefulness. "Ah thought Celestia was gonna give ya a signal when ya could raise hay."

"I think she'd make an exception," Discord smirked. He sat next to her, growing increasingly bored as more ponies flocked the ballroom and chattered about their boring lives. When was it his turn to have some fun? The guest count reached 300 and at last from the back of the room Celestia gave a nod in his direction. With that, the draconequus vanished.

Trotting joyously through the halls, in a rainbow assortment of flouncy, fluffy, fuzzy, and flowing gowns were the rest of the four bearers of harmony. They gazed around the room in awe. The decorations were even more beautiful than last year.

"So Fluttershy, are you really going to go through with what you were planning?" Twilight asked her friend, a hoof lightly tapping her shoulder. "I won't lie; I'm worried you might freeze up on stage." She gazed around apprehensively at the room of hundreds of ponies. "It might be a little frightening for you."

The pegasus was as adamant as ever. "I'm not even singing it for them; I'm singing it for him, Twilight." She giggled, "Even if he does gag at it. And I-I've learned to be more brave over this past year." That was certainly true. Taking in and reforming a former monster, standing up to the royals of Equestria at the risk of being banished or worse, and everything else she did just to ensure Discord's safety and happiness.

All but Rarity cringed at the screechy violin music from what sounded like a less than professional musician. It echoed through the large room, but none of the other guests batted an eye. Perhaps their ears were deadened from having listened to stuff like that so much. What sounded next as the strum slid across the instrument's strings was not the sound of a violin. It was in fact a loud quacking noise.

Fluttershy whirled to face the other side of the room, where she suspected Celestia would be absolutely steaming and prepared to pull off pieces of the draconequus. Amazingly, she was only grinning from ear to ear. At the sudden squishy spring beside her, the pegasus turned to see beach balls rain from the ceiling. Every other head in the room looked up at the rain of plush projectiles as well.

In a white flash of light, a certain, smirky, absolutely-delighted-with-having-his-powers-back Discord appeared over the group of ponies. He smirked as they glared up at him—only to be hit in the face with a few beach balls. "Greetings, everypony!" he chirped, "I'll be one of your glorious hosts for this evening! Please have a lovely time, and I wouldn't eat that cake if I were you."

As if on cue the butter cream cake Discord was referring to exploded with confetti and a party blower sound right as a pegasus went for a slice. She ran away with a shriek.

Careful not to make it sound too diabolical and render Celestia in a catatonic state once more, Discord chuckled manically as geysers of whipped cream shot up from the tiles at a safe distance away from the guests. "Now it's a party!" And all chaotic hay broke loose. A storm of cola rained down among the guests, to which they whined as their outfits were ruined. That was the least of their worries as a sporadic wave of pickle juice surged through the windows, yet done cleverly enough that its force wasn't too strong and it wasn't deep enough to drown anypony.

"Auntie Tia!" Cadence dropped Celestia's formal address and waded through the pickle lake, up to give her aunt a hug, which Celestia instantly returned. Discord just sort of hovered awkwardly over his girlfriend's shoulder, looking down into the deep magenta eyes of the younger alicorn.

She pulled back, regarding him with a mixture of wonder and confusion. Odd; he was used to others looking at him with terror.

"Cadence, there is someone I want you to meet." The princess gestured a hoof to Discord, who wasn't sure whether to greet the very young alicorn with some sort of desert spattered across her face or just ignore her and resume his wonderful decor. "This is Prince Discord, your uncle."

At that the spirit's ears visibly perked slightly. 'Uncle Discord'; that had an interesting ring to it. He had to admit it was pretty neat meeting new family he had no idea he had. He also found himself inwardly fawning over his returned title of the prince of Equestria.

Cadence gazed up at the draconequus. She knew about him. History books all over the globe held stories of him, as did her own lessons from tutors when she was younger. Right now that didn't deter her in the slightest. All that was on her mind was...

"I have an uncle?" Her voice was giddy and her eyes were sparkling. "I have an uncle!"

"Well, I suppose you d-" Discord was cut off as the pink mare threw her hooves around his waist and nuzzled him affectionately. Discord stood there, baffled. He wasn't used to hugs, other than from Fluttershy. It made him slightly anxious, but he let her cling to him until she finally let go of him to babble about things she liked, ask what he liked, etcetera, etcetera.

A slightly grim faced stallion standing behind her obviously had common sense (and a grudge) enough to not disregard who he was. "So, you're the one that tormented my sister," Shining Armor said coolly. Ah, so it was the brother of little Sparky, and a perfect future target for his usual abuse. First things first though.

"And what times do you mean, big brother Sparkle?" Discord tittered, "the many pies to the face and tying her tail to a tree to use her as a tether ball, or that fateful day a year ago?" Really if he didn't sprinkle some jokes on his dark past here and there, there would be no moving on with life.

"You know what I mean." If looks could kill...

"Well, we've made amends from that little fiasco of a millennium ago," Discord assured with a smirk. Quite abruptly he scooped Twilight up in his claws as she passed by, pressing her painfully against his face and squeezing her cheeks until they nearly popped. "Why, I love this little wubbie," he crooned, continuing to squeeze the life out of her—before carelessly tossing her over his shoulder, into a large bowl of potato salad. He smirked to himself as Shining Armor immediately rushed over to dig her out of the bowl.

_Now to resume my renovation_. With a white flash he was gone again.

Fluttershy and her friends shrieked as a bunch of pickles with wings began to fly around the room. The high-society snobs meanwhile only continued to whine over the state of their outfits and how terrible the night was turning out to be.

"Princess, I can't believe you're actually allowing this!" Rarity exclaimed, "It's absolutely uncouth!"

A smirk turned up on Celestia's lips. "I know. I wish Father had let Discord liven things up like this when we were children. Perhaps then the Gala would have been more bearable." She smiled at the sparkle in Discord's eyes as he regaled in his chaotic powers once more. "I think I'll do this every year. With luck the Gala will be over shortly. I have some important things to attend with Discord and my sister. It's something I've been meaning to do with them for a while now."

Fluttershy and her friends shrieked as a bunch of pickles with wings began to fly around the room. The high-society snobs meanwhile only continued to whine over the state of their outfits and how terrible the night was turning out to be.

As frothing rivers of ice cream soda floats began to drip down the walls and the tables turned to giant bean bags, Twilight lightly nudged Fluttershy's shoulder. "Now's your chance." The band was already beginning to pack up their stuff on stage that was raining gumballs (something Discord did in the cottage often anyway), so Fluttershy timidly made her way to the center of the stage.

Ponies were already beginning to make their way out the door and a good handful of guests had already left in a huff, while the others tried staying away from the disarray around them at the safety of the food tables, and ignore the giggling draconequus floating above.

With mechanical movements, Fluttershy took the microphone off its stand, staring around at the large crowd around her; some which weren't even looking at her, some that were gazing up curiously. She could see the back of her little draconequus, who was busily throwing water balloons at some guests. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy began to sing.

_I was once a little filly afraid of this monster under my bed_

_A monster with big and scary sharp teeth_

_But do you know what my Mommy said?_

_She said Fluttershy monster is just a label and you see_

_That monsters are capable of feelings_

_Just like you and me_

_They have hearts just like we have_

_They can love just like we can_

_I know it's hard to see it's true_

_But would I ever lie to you?_

Discord whirled to the stage, and was beyond stunned to see little-cries-and-hides-at-everything Fluttershy in the middle of stage, singing a strong serenade, and not even shaking at all. The band timidly crept out behind her and tried to match their instruments with the tune, happy at least a little normality had returned to the formal.

Guests turned to watch the young pegasus as well, and ignored the fall of gumballs and soda, and the puddles of syrup at their hooves as they only concentrated on the music. Slowly, enthusiasm returned back to the party as several ponies began to bob around in time with the music.

_But things all changed one fateful day_

_And I helped somebody see the right way_

_He was a mean little thing just like no other_

_Chaos was his bread and pranks were his butter_

_And no other pony would give him a try_

_They only saw him as a monster and soon I wondered why_

_Because I saw something in him no one else did_

_And I saw all the pain from these years that he's hid_

Oh the sheer sweetness oozing unpleasantly from each lyric made Discord feel sick, but to see this usually timid little foal up in front of hundreds of her peers made him proud, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

Fluttershy finished her song, and as the tidal wave of pickle and lemon juice had receded, her friends and Discord included began to clap. The spirit bolted up onto the stage, and the pegasus's sparkling eyes widened, a smile across her butter colord face when Discord rushed to her with his arms outstretched. She opened her own and waited for the hug—only to turn to see Discord grabbing the microphone instead.

"If I could have your attention, my little ponies, I'd like to make a proposal to our dearest princess."

The mention of a "proposal" almost made Celestia choke on a biscuit, hacking it out ever so gracefully as she stared in wonderment at the spirit walking slowly down the steps, and towards her. Ponies stood aside and watched as he took her hand like a kind gentlecolt. Perhaps Fluttershy's lessons on etiquette had taught him something after all.

"May I have this dance, your majesty?" Discord asked with a bow, delicately taking the mare's hoof. Blindsided, the princess could only nod as she was lead into the middle of the dance floor, where the traffic of ponies subsided as they all moved to the side.

"But Discord," Celestia began before the music started, "what are we going to dance to? All the band really plays are classical songs, and-"

_There are a lot of ponies in this world, but as time goes on I see_

_The one who really understands and shows me just what I can be_

_And as spring turns to summer, and fall turns to winter I know that we'll forever_

_Through the moments of time, the love in this rhyme, we'll be together..._

Celestia stared up at the mischievous glint in the spirit's eyes. Her own filled with tears as she rested her cheek against his chest. "Oh Discord, it's our song."

"Our song?" Discord chuckled, "how disgustingly saccharine, but I suppose you did sing it enough for it to belong to us." He tilted her chin up towards his own face. "And just us."

_And now in this world I finally understand just what loves means_

_And though we have our fights and get angry_

_I'll always tuck you into my dreams_

Everypony watched, their hearts warming as the two immortals held each other and pressed their lips together. Tears filled Fluttershy's eyes and Pinkie started full out bawling at her side at the sheer beautiful-ness of it all.

Discord and Celestia couldn't possibly be anymore content in each other's arms, their eyes radiating with the depth and sincerity of love. They leaned in to kiss again—only for Discord to abruptly snap his fingers. "_Areeba!_" he shouted, suddenly wearing a sombrero, having changed the band instruments into maracas as he carelessly shoved Celestia away, where she stumbled into a bowl of fruit punch with a catastrophic _splash!_

"Oh, princess!" Fluttershy and her friends galloped over as the air rang with a Mexican melody and Discord danced in a poncho through the room. She and her friends up righted the princess, who's head was down, flat- red tinted mane drooping into the punch. "I'm so sorry! I thought he'd behave tonight!"

It was then the girls noticed that Celestia's entire body was shaking, and she threw back her head to laugh, turning to the girls with a wide grin on her dripping face.

"You expected anything different?"

xxxxxxxx

The sky was pink and yellow with an awakening sun when the three forms made their way out that morning. Two were walking calmly and resolutely; one was being just about dragged.

Oh the fear coursing through Discord's heart was unfathomable, indescribable. He had never been here-he had _forbidden himself_ from nearing this place after their deaths. It was the main reason he never attended their funeral. He couldn't bear to be on the sacred ground, and was unworthy of even coming at all.

"It's just down this path," Celestia said quietly. Luna was mournfully silent beside her sister, and Discord trembled like a child behind. He tried to gather his composure when the ivory mare turned to him, but he couldn't, and she knew that.

"Don't cry, dear." A tender, golden clad hoof brushed over the tears starting to brim over his eyes. He tried to snap back that he wasn't crying, but was only able to give a weak gurgle. "I know it's hard, but I think it's something you at last have to do. You've never come here, and not facing this fear of yours is one of the reasons you can't move on. You won't be able to until you finally do."

Finding her warm hoof in his paw, Discord held it and allowed himself to be lead, not dragged, down the cobble stone path, and towards a small, silver gate. He felt like a colt whose mother was trying to gently coax him into the doctor's office.

The graves weren't like your typical, tiny head stones (but it was royalty, what else did he expect?); instead the writing was engraved in a large, wide plaque, with an angel decoration on the very top of the headstone. Legs shaking and failing him, Discord knelt down and read the engravings. In the small list of the ponies that loved his parents, in the list of their children, was him.

"You...got them to mention me."

"Of course." Celestia gazed down at the hunched creature, a pained look written on her face as her mouth creased and her eyes became wet. "You were their son...and I knew you still loved them. You aimed to please only them, and to show them how much you cared. You wanted the throne because you wanted power, but also because you wanted to make them proud by following in their hoofsteps."

Discord was ready to asphyxiate the princess with her own hair if she said one more thing to build up the tide of tears and approaching hysterics. His eyes were ready to gush like faucets. He was nearly eating his own paw; it was pressed so tightly against his mouth so only his body shook with grief and not a sound escaped him.

"On the night they decided to banish you, the night it all happened, Father told me his biggest regret was not telling you he loved you as much as he should have. But no matter what, they still loved you and would for all eternity and ever after, no matter what you had done."

The crouched spirit put his head in between his knees, and for a final time he wept over their death, over the past, over the pain of what he never realized, and the pain that he did realize. Celestia and Luna stood above him, but said nothing and provided no comfort. There was a time for comfort and there was a time when one had to be left to have a full release of their emotions on their own. This was one of those times.

When it was over, Discord didn't feel like crawling under a rock in shame that he had broken down and sobbed like a two day colt. No, if anything, he at last felt a sense of clarity, and that he could finally proceed with his own life knowing that "the past was past."

"Stand in front of me, Discord and Luna."

The two siblings looked at each other and reluctantly obeyed, although they were very confused. Celestia gazed at them, at the two beings in the world that love for anyone else didn't even come close to her love for them, at the foal and colt she was raised with from infancy, and the ones that had made the biggest impact on her life.

"Words cannot explain how much the two of you mean to me, and everything you've done for me," she began in a strong voice, glistening tears of happiness in her eyes. "We've gone through so much in our lives. Some of it we've needed to go through alone, but we've remained strong. We've made our mistakes, but they're what have made us who we are today. We know who we are and what our parents wanted for us."

All of a sudden a long forgotten, archaic chest appeared beside the princess, hovering in a magic hue. Discord and Luna stared when they realized what the chest was. It opened slowly and revealed its contents.

"Princess Luna, daughter of Astraia," Celestia began to speak as her magic removed her sister's slippers, ebony tiara, and necklace, "you remind me more of Mother every day. You have her grace, her charm, her compassion, and her judgement." The younger immortal bent her head as her mother's crown was tucked around her mane, and she lifted her hooves for the slippers, watching the amethyst necklace fasten itself around her neck. "You are our mother's daughter, and she'd be proud to say you are her daughter."

Luna's navy blue eyes sparkled with tears as she gave her sister a firm nod. "Thank you, sister."

When Celestia turned to Discord, holding his father's attire in a bubble of magic, the spirit began to panic and pull away from her. "T-Tia, no—I can't. I can't wear that. I—no." Memories of him wearing that crown and tainting it with his own evil resonated through his head, heightening his fear. Celestia wouldn't allow him to pull away. One time Discord wanted that crown more than anything, and now he was too afraid to touch it.

"Prince Discord, son of Aegeus, you have made many mistakes in life. You have made perhaps more than either of us, and they cost you dearly-"

"We're supposed to have witnesses for a coronation," Discord whimpered, trying to keep the crown away from him, "So stop talking!"

"You once had darkness in your heart that couldn't be cured, and you were once the fall of this land. Despite everything, you were still Aegeus and Astraia's son, and you have repented for your sins of the past. That's all Mother and Father wanted, and so they would be proud to call you their son."

Discord stared at her, unable to understand her words, and didn't fight as his father's crown was placed on his head, nor when his father's chains were fastened around his neck. He touched the large ruby in the center of the chain and stared at the mare once more.

"My siblings," Luna said softly, "let us do right by our parents, and right by Equestria. Let us rule as one heart, and one mind." She gathered both her brother and sister into a close, loving hug. Celestia's hooves instantly enclosed around her, but Discord took a little longer to return it. When he did it was just as tight.

"Tia, Lulu, I...feel like I need to be alone right now," Discord said quietly, muffled under the suffocating embrace. "I have to think about things." The girls pulled back, but they nodded immediately and gave his back a few gentle rubs before walking away and leaving Discord with his thoughts.

The draconequus stood there by his parents' graves with a soul searching look on his face. He gazed up at the sky as the sun that had only just poked up into the sky retreated behind a few clouds, and shrouded the land in a dim shadow.

"You know, Mom and Dad, you always were the forgiving type. I never was. There was always a rift between us and when you apologized for not being better parents I didn't forgive you. I was always the type that loved to hold grudges, wasn't I? Well, your daughters would know that. A thousand years in stone and the only thing appealing to me was hurting them." He reached up and mournfully took off his crown, turning it over in his hands. "Yet I know you both: infuriatingly forgiving, even when one doesn't even deserve it. It's hard to forgive myself or accept that you would."

Still pressed against the graves, his tear-dried cheeks up against the cold granite, Discord felt a sudden warmth on his back. He gazed up and could hardly believe what he saw. Shining down from somewhere in the break of the clouds, with a pale, warm beam was a single ray of sunlight on him. Discord stood up and stared straight into the sky. The ray of the sun was unlike anything he had felt before. It was serene, and it felt like a tender hug...from familiar arms.

_Okay, Discord, now you're being absolutely ridiculous,_ the spirit thought, annoyed by his own snap assumptions of his own, childish, hopeful self. It was then a sudden wind rippled his fur, and it was reminiscent to the way his father sometimes mussed his fur when he was young. It wasn't meant to be soothing or comforting, but the motion was akin to one of playful affection, as if telling him to cheer up and stop crying.

_Son..._

A spiritual, soft breath in the wind that instantly made Discord's heart skip a beat, if not stop all together. He whirled to the sky for the source of the voice, but found nothing. Still, he knew he heard it; it wasn't just in his head. A smile curled over the spirit's lips as he gazed up into the clouds a final time. The sunlight retracted the moment he stepped into the palace.

xxxxxxxx

The day's events had tuckered his entire family out. Discord had kept what he heard to himself, not sharing it with anypony. He knew Celestia and Luna wouldn't think he was insane, but the moment, the voice, just seemed to be something special, and it would lose its worth if he let out he heard it.

As things had changed since the day they had all made amends, more changed for the better today as they received their parents' attire. Discord and Luna had playfully fought over her throne in a barrage of ear nibbling, tail gnawing, and raspberries and noogies aplenty. Today had been the day they truly reunited as family and remembered just who they were. Today was the day the pain from the past was laid to rest permanently.

Today had been the day they had all moved on.

And now the three had all curled up in a single bed together under the stars and moon, just like the days when they were children and had all been laid to sleep in the same bed, under one family sized blanket. Of course, it was a little different now that they were older. Bodies poked out of the blankets everywhere since it was only big enough to cover one pony. Neither of them cared though. Discord just warmed his family's hooves by wrapping his tail around them.

Luna had tried to stay awake (she took the night shift after all), but found the day's events had exhausted her as well. Celestia was close to falling under the Sandmare's spell as well. She turned over to look at Discord, who had his hands behind his head.

"Things finally feel alright," Discord said quietly. "It's been eons since I've felt...this peaceful." He looked at his love, and her violet eyes twinkled in the darkness. "Since I've felt...that I belong."

Celestia said nothing for a moment, but even in the darkness the spirit could see the gentle smile play across her lips. She only said one thing: "I love you, Discord." Maybe it was absurd to say it after all they had been through, all she had caused him and all he had caused her, but she still said it. No matter what, it was the truth. It had never changed. It never would.

It was absurd indeed, and laughable that she could say it so easily after their history, but the bad parts had only made up a small part of their lives, and so it was no challenging task for Discord to say this: "I love you too, Celestia."

xxxxxxxx

_"Wait until you try my new cupcake recipe! I made it for Discord really; it's cotton candy, and chocolate and licorice! It's super-duper delicious! I even added a pickle on top!" That's where every pair of hooves but Discord's hands drew back in disgust, and inched away from the plate of disgusting desserts._

_"I'll pass, Pinkie," Aegeus said awkwardly, pushing away the plate—where his son instantly took it into his mouth. "I'm sure it's delightful, but-"_

_"But the stick-in-the-mud king of Equestria doesn't accept anything un-orderly," Discord sniggered playfully, laughing as his father pulled him down from the air and into a headlock._

_"You watch your manners, little colt!" the king growled, the smirk on his lips betraying it. "I'm still your father after all!" He drove a hoof into his son's mane, messing it up as Discord laughed and protested._

_"What a gorgeous day it is," Luna breathed, nestled in her mother's embrace. "It's a perfect day for a picnic. The air is so clean and fresh, and extremely soothing." Twinkling navy eyes glanced up into the vibrant skies—only for her vision to be suddenly obscured by a green gelatinous goop. Both her and her green-goo-coated mom stared blankly as it dripped crudely down their bodies._

_"Ohohohoho!" Discord slapped his knees in mirth. "The skies might be clean, but your manes certainly aren't!" He danced circles around his sister and mother through the air, and it was only after the green goop dripped into her sandwich that Astraia finally reacted. "Get him, Lulu."_

_Discord bolted away from the vengeful mares, and Luna galloped close behind him, snorting in rage._

_"Oh, he's gonna get it," Applejack smirked._

_"Nopony messes with Luna and the Queen," Twilight agreed with a giggling lilt._

_Discord circled the tree and back again in the most un-fun (for Luna) game of chase ever. Eventually, Astraia paralyzed her son in a beam of magic, and allowed Luna to tackle him to the ground._

_"Oh no! No!" Discord yelped squealing as his sister bit down on his poor ears. "Barbara, help! Fluttershyy!"_

_"No, you'll get no help from me, you naughty thing," the pegasus grinned with the clucking hen, only contributing by tossing her feather duster over her shoulder, and towards Luna, who chirped a thank you and proceeded to dust the hapless spirit._

_Discord bolted instantly away from her once he managed to push her off, and only succeeded in reaching the picnic blanket before his entire family and even his friends tackled him down. They weren't even doing a thing to him, but yet Discord still found himself laughing harder than he ever had. At last he felt a sense of clarity and joy, and at last he was where he finally belonged. At last..._

_...He no longer felt broken._

**The End**

xxxxxxxx

_(Wow, I can't believe it's done. I got teary eyed when I wrote the final paragraph because it's done._

_Anyway, eh...I like how it turned out, but I guess it just seemed more epicer in my head. :\ *sigh* The new outfits is a good setup for "Distorted Worlds", since princess Luna, Queen Celestia, and King Discord are all going to look different. :D_

_Next up: deleted scenes, and a "trailer" of the sequel. Taht might not be up for a while since I want to work more on my art, and start finish the first chapter of "Cradle To Corruption"_

_I also want to write a Discord and Aegeus fic based on "Brave" (that movie was awesome; Pixar I want to work with you even more now)_

_Anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed. And yes the last scene was a dream. If you think it was reality yer dum.)_


End file.
